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Taylor Lautner is really going to stretch a bit for his next project. The Twilight Saga hunk just signed on the dotted line to play the title character in a film entitled Stretch Armstrong. Chances are that before hooking up with the film, Lautner had never even heard of Stretch Armstrong, and it's likely that most of Lautner's adoring young fans, the very people who'll be rushing to theaters in 2012, never heard of Stretch Armstrong, either.
So, who the heck is Stretch Armstrong?
Stretch Armstrong is a toy, an action figure from Hasbro (actually, Kenner back in the day, with Kenner bought by Tonka and Tonka eventually purchased by Hasbro) that became a kids' playtime favorite in the 1970s. Kenner/Hasbro sold millions and millions of the rubbery things, which could be pulled, yanked, stomped on, banged, and twisted mercilessly, and then would quickly regain its original shape. Stretch fell out of favor as time passed, but was successfully relaunched in the 1990s. And now, with Lautner ready to embody the role, it looks like Stretch is ready for another renaissance in the 2010s.
Universal Pictures made the announcement about Stretch Armstrong on February 5, revealing that the film will be a 3-D superhero adventure and explaining that the 2012 timeframe is designed to accommodate Lautner's existing commitments, which include Max Steel, promotional duties on behalf of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), and the filming of Breaking Dawn. Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer is set to oversee the film in collaboration with two producers from Hasbro, Brian Goldner and Bennet Schneir. The script is by Steve Oedekerk, whose previous credits include Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) and Bruce Almighty (2003). Addressing the decision to cast Lautner as Stretch, Universal co-chairman Donna Langley said in a press release that, "In the past two years, Taylor has emerged as a real star at the global box office. He brings the perfect balance of energy and athleticism to the role of an unlikely superhero with a fantastic super power. We couldn't be more pleased that he has agreed to be our Stretch."
