Who will be People's 2015 Sexiest Man Alive?

Could one of these actos, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Chris Pratt, Idris Elba or Harrison Ford, be the next People's Sexiest Man Alive? Photo / Getty Image

Sexiest Man Alive. What does it really mean? The actual sexiest man on the planet? An actor who needs publicity for his next movie? A star with a particularly impressive set of abs? A guy that everyone just really, really likes?

The answer is somewhere between "a little of each" and "all of the above," which is why People's annual Sexiest Man Alive issue gets so much attention every year. On Wednesday, the magazine will announce the 2015 winner; as always, we have some guesses about who will take the crown.

A caveat: Choosing a Sexiest Man Alive is an imperfect science. Some years, it's the new "it" guy, like when Channing Tatum (2012) won mere months after he stripped down for Magic Mike. Other times, it's someone who has a big year ahead of them, like when Chris Hemsworth (2014) was primed for a big splash in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It's almost always a movie star, though in 2013 it was Adam Levine.

Here are some possibilities for 2015, which also marks the 30th year of the Sexiest Man Alive cover.

Matt Damon

Known as Hollywood's perennial Nice Guy (well, until some recent controversy), he had one of the biggest movies of the year with The Martian. He also made headlines with Project Greenlight - which wasn't always a good thing, so he could definitely use an image boost. Also, he has Bourne 5 on the horizon for next year. People's Sexiest Man Alive is frequently in a big box-office franchise.

Actor Matt Damon. Photo / AP

The Rock

Doesn't everyone just love Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson? He starred in Furious 7? and San Andreas, two of the 20 top-grossing movies of the year.

Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Photo / AP

Idris Elba

The British actor wound up in a big cultural conversation this year as the people demanded he should be the next James Bond. (He seems okay with it.) He was the first solo man on the cover of Maxim. He recently had roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Beasts of No Nation, and his 2016 looks huge: He's in Star Trek Beyond as well as voicing characters in The Jungle Book and Finding Dory.

Actor Idris Elba. Photo / AP

Chris Pratt

Many people thought that he was a shoo-in last year thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy, but Chris Hemsworth stole his spot. Could the magazine have just been saving the honour until the gigantic hit Jurassic World hit theatres?

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard star in Jurassic World.

Chris Evans

Never count out a Chris for Sexiest Man Alive. Plus, he's in the Captain America sequel in 2016, along with his role in The Avengers. However, a key part of SMA is sitting for an interview/mildly embarrassing photo shoot that shows off your bodacious bod, and Evans may be a bit too shy for that.

Actor Chris Evans stars of Captain America.

Will Smith

Concussion is sure to make a splash and no one can stop talking about Suicide Squad for next year.

Will Smith stars in the 2015 movie Concussion based on a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu.

Johnny Depp

Sure, Depp has gone through some bizarre personal-life issues and his latest films have been a bit of a disaster (Mortdecai, anyone?) but he jumped back on the radar as Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. In 2016, he stars in Alice Through the Looking Glass. And People might owe him one.

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. Photo / AP

Harrison Ford

The Sexiest Man Alive is generally in his 30s or 40s, but Disney/ABC does partner with People quite often (such as announcing the winner on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live), and the new Disney-owned Star Wars: Episode VII can't have enough hype. Plus, the 73-year-old Ford escaped unscathed from an airplane crash this year.

Actor Harrison Ford. Photo / AP

Other options

Jake Gyllenhaal. Chris Pine. Michael Fassbender. And a long-shot guess because of the cheating scandal, but Ben Affleck does have Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice next year.