It’s amazing what going to the gym can do. Taylor Lautner nearly got dropped from the Twilight franchise as the makers weren’t sure he was buff enough to play werewolf Jacob in New Moon, however after some quick be-muscling, Lautner not only retained the role, but his abs have got Hollywood so excited he’s scoring all sorts of major roles (you didn’t think it was his acting ability, did you?).
He was recently announced to star in Max Steel and now he’s landed another toy adaptation, as he’s taking the starring role in Stretch Armstrong, Universal’s big screen take on the bendy, flexible toy. As a doll that looks like Hulk Hogan doesn’t exactly suggest a plot, the studio is turning it into the story of a spy who stumbles on a stretching formula. He takes it and must then adapt to his new, flexible life and use his abilities to fight crime. So it’s basically a superhero flick – almost as if Fantastic Four’s Reed Richard’s had got his own reboot spin-off.
THR also reports that Universal has committed to making the film in 3D (although to be frank, in the current climate, who thought they wouldn’t?), and the film has been pushed back from a 2001 release to sometime in 2012. In fact there’s now a slight hole in Unviersal’s blockbuster schedule for 2011, as they’re also moving Peter Berg’s Battleship to 2012 as well. The changes are supposedly to give the filmmakers more time to get things right, although it does seem strange for Universal to leave such a mega-bugdet gap in their schedule.