Fan favorite Taylor Lautner, who portrays werewolf Jacob Black in the blockbuster hit series ‘The Twilight Saga,’ will take on his next big role by taking on the title character in ‘Stretch Armstrong,’ Universal Pictures has announced. The studio’s chairman, Adam Fogelson, and co-chairman, Donna Langley, announced on February 5 that the movie will be released in summer 2012, and will also be in 3-D.
According to comingsoon.net, Brian Goldner, the president and CEO of Hasbro, Inc., the company that released the toy, said ‘Stretch Armstrong’ won’t be released for another two years so that Universal can successfully add all the elements it needs to make a great summer blockbuster. The studio also wants to accommodate the actor’s current commitments, mainly to the promotion of the next ‘Twilight’ movie, ‘Eclipse,’ which is set for release in June.
“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 super hero with a fantastic super power,” said Langley. “We couldn’t be more pleased that he has agreed to be our Stretch.”
The movie will be based on the iconic action figure, whose most notable feature was that its arms and legs could stretch outwards, was first popular in the 1970s, and saw a resurge in popularity in the ’90s. Steve Oedekerk, who previously worked on Jim Carey’s 2003 hit ‘Bruce Almighty,’ wrote the screenplay, and Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennet Schneir are set to produce.
Written by: Karen Benardello
