Sad news for Taylor Lautner fans. He’s keeping his shirt on for his next movie. The superhero Stretch Armstrong would have every reason to ditch the shirt and flex his muscles. The original stretchy toy was even shirtless. Lautner said that’s one of the things they’re changing for the modern version.

“You know, they’re doing all of the designing and all that stuff right now,” Lautner said. “They’re writing the script and everything so I haven’t seen any finalized version, but chances are it might be a little different from the doll.”

Oh well, at least we have the New Moon DVD and Eclipse coming out in theaters. Then Lautner will be back for Breaking Dawn, so Stretch can be the one where he doesn’t flex.

“They’re not finished with the script yet. I think they should be shortly so hopefully we’ll know soon. The cool thing about the toy is that there is no story. Like with a superhero you have to stay along these lines, but with a toy you get to create everything which is super exciting and creative.”

Before Stretch, Lautner will film Abduction, a real world kidnapping thriller. “Abduction really has an interesting story. It’s about a high school senior who finds a picture of himself on a missing persons’ web site only to realize that his whole life for 18 years has been a lie.”

We’ll see if Abduction will find Lautner peeling off his shirt after a sweaty chase, but it will have to be integral to the plot. “I mean, it can’t be nonsense action. The action has to make sense and that’s with the story behind it. I’m super excited to get going on that. I start in three weeks.”

Source: Starpulse

“Get Him to the Greek” writer and director Nicholas Stoller is currently writing the superhero film’s screenplay, but he admitted to MTV News that he has found himself a bit distracted lately. Distracted by what, you ask? None other than Lautner himself!

“I had my first meeting with him, and let me tell you: That dude is handsome,” Stoller confessed. “That is one good-looking man. Like, he is — I get it. I get it!”

Pressed for further details on his first impressions of Lautner, Stoller said he hasn’t met anyone else in Hollywood who can attract a crowd quite like the “Twilight” sensation does.

“At this point in my career, obviously you spend a lot of time with celebrities,” he said. “I’ve never seen more people approach someone [famous]. So many people come up to him, every age and a lot of French people.”

Stoller also admitted that while he hasn’t seen Lautner without his shirt on, he certainly wouldn’t mind getting a firsthand look at the actor’s shirtless physique. “I’m not even going to do the whole ‘I’m not gay’ type of thing,” Stoller laughed. “Anyone, it doesn’t matter who you are, would want to see that!”

Source: MTV

Nicholas Stoller, who directed the raucous new rock ‘n’ roll comedy “Get Him to the Greek,” starring Russell Brand, Sean Combs, Jonah Hill and Rose Byrne, is now writing the screenplay for “Twilight Eclipse” star Taylor Lautner’s new film franchise, “Stretch Armstrong.”

And even he has fallen for Taylor. “He is a dreamy dude,” Nick tells The Dish Rag. “He is so good looking and such a sweet guy. I have hung out with a lot of celebrities but I have never seen more people go up like they do to him.”

So will Taylor take his shirt off in “Stretch”? “Of course, he’ll take it off!” Nick confirms, before cautiously adding, “We’ll see, we’ll see.”

Oh, c’mon, Nick. You’re not giving any secrets away. The darn doll/toy is shirtless. It’s kind of a no-brainer.

Nick describes the film as having a light “Iron Man” tone.” “I’m very excited about it. I love super hero movies. It’s a genre I have not gotten to work in before and to paint on such a large canvas is really great.”

He can’t tell us much about the back story for Taylor’s character though. “It’s a pretty cool origin story that we’re really still figuring out. There’s not much to go on because Hasbro doesn’t have one.”

Rob Letterman is directing the movie and Nick is working from Rob’s idea about character’s background. According to Stoller, they’re starting pre-production “sometime this summer” and “will start shooting next spring.”

He explains that “with a movie like this, with big visual effects, more stuff has to be locked down ahead of time.” He expects to be working on the film through the very end.

And we expect shirtless scenes, Nick. Lots of them. Taylor’s fans must be appeased. Consider yourself warned.

Source: Zap 2 It

Moviehole brings us this exclusive info about upcoming films for Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. If you have been wondering about those Wanted 2 rumors, Kristen doesn’t exactly answer the question, but she doesn’t deny it either (she’s so good at avoiding questions!). Also, Taylor talks about when Stretch Armstrong is expected to film.

In addition to discussing “Eclipse” and the upcoming “Breaking Dawn” (“I can’t wait to see Renesmee!”, said Kristen; “We have a very good director behind us who can help with that” added Taylor), I also had the opportunity to quiz Stewart on those “Wanted 2″ rumours and get a “Stretch Armstrong” update out of the wonderfully-ribbed Lautner.
Stewart was rumoured to be replacing Angelina Jolie in “Wanted 2″ a few weeks back. One almost expected her to laugh off the rumours – but funnily enough, she didn’t.
“Right now, I have two projects lined up”, Stewart, coyly, responded. “I’m doing On the Road this Summer and then I’m doing Breaking Dawn. So other than that I have nothing ‘nailed down’.”
Doesn’t sound like a denial to me!
Of his future projects, Lautner said “Stretch Armstrong”, based on the toy line, is happening but “it’s not happening for a while though, about a year from now. I’m doing a movie called Abduction which starts in about a month. Then Breaking Dawn. And hopefully Stretch after that”.
Wow, “Stretch Armstrong” is a long ways off – let’s hope it doesn’t fall by the wayside (like the “Max Steel” movie that Lautner was going to do, did!).

SOURCE: Movie Hole

Yay for the start of “Abduction” next month!!! That means more photos of Taylor shooting the movie!

Taylor Lautner is going to play Stretch Armstrong, a superhero based on a toy. What could that possibly have in common with Iron Man? That comic-book movie is the inspiration for Nicholas Stoller, who is writing the Stretch Armstrong screenplay for director Rob Letterman. He wants Stretch to be believable, even though it’s a cool fantasy.

“It’s like a huge superhero movie that we’re taking totally seriously,” Stoller said in an exclusive phone interview on May 21, while promoting the comedy Get Him to the Greek. “It’s going to have more of an Iron Man/James Bond vibe to it, with that light tone of Iron Man but the gadgetry of James Bond. I’m very excited about playing around in that world. I’ve never had the opportunity to.”

Stretch gains the power to stretch his body to superhuman lengths. It’s up to Stoller to think of all the perilous situations where only the power of stretching can save the day. “We’re thinking of a fair number, but I’ll say that it’s going to be the most grounded, realistic version of that,” Stoller said. “I love superhero movies, but I come at everything from a real, grounded character standpoint. What’s interesting to me is to tell a story about this crazy thing happens to this kid and what he ends up doing with the power, versus getting really immersed in the details of such a thing.”

The Stretch Armstrong toy was first released in 1976. If you never played with it, the movie will still be self-explanatory. “What appealed to me about this was getting to write a cool Iron Man [type of] movie,” Stoller said. “I think when the first teaser hits, people are going to be surprised and psyched.”

Hasbro is developing the Stretch Armstrong movie with Universal Studios. The toy makers plan to launch a new line of Stretch toys based on the film. Stoller does have to take notes from Hasbro, since they’ll be building whatever he’s writing.

“They present a lot of designs and stuff, and they obviously have approval on the story,” Stoller said. “We actually just went to the Hasbro factory, which is like a Willy Wonka-style experience. They have a thing called a 3-D printer that you literally can print a toy, just create a toy. It’s a pretty magical place. So they’re more interested in the designs and making sure that the story has a wide appeal, which is obviously something that Rob and I are interested in as well.”

Stretch Armstrong is due in 2012.

Source: Scifi Wire

When Universal first announced plans to adapt Hasbro’s Stretch Armstrong toy into a 3-D live-action movie starring Taylor Lautner, a lot of people were left scratching their heads and wondering what the movie could possibly be about. After all, there’s no healthy backstory for the half-naked man with a stretchy body — unlike toy-to-movie adaptations G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Transformers, which both had a wealth of animated episodes and comic books to draw on for inspiration. Turns out, the character’s “blank slate” is what made the movie such an enticing project for screenwriter Nick Stoller.

Rob [ Letterman, director] had a great take on Stretch and he told me about it, and I said, “Please let me write it.” It’s a superhero origin story taking it totally seriously, kind of in the Iron Man tone —for lack of a better descriptor. We’re taking it seriously, but it will have a light tone to it. Hasbro has an idea of it and it’s based on a new version of that character. It’s kind of a blank slate. There wasn’t really much of a backstory to the original Stretch Armstrong so we’re just kind of inventing it from the ground up.

Stoller, whose previous writing credits include low-budget comedies Fun with Dick and Jane and Yes Man, said that another thing that excited him about Stretch Armstrong was the opportunity to work on a big special-effects extravaganza.

It’s more about creating a universe of superheroes that I’m really excited about. Rob and I have cracked a pretty cool story I think and Rob has a really cool take on what this can be, and it’s going to be a huge budget spectacular thing. I love Iron Man, I love The Dark Knight and it’s exciting to get to play in this world, because the budgets of these comedies are pretty small, and to get to do something that’s just gigantic and exciting but a totally grounded human story at the center of it that I think people are going to respond to.

Stretch Armstrong is being produced by Academy Award–winner Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind), in association with Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennet Schneir. Initially, Steve Oedekerk (Evan Almighty) was listed as the screenwriter, but no mention was made of his involvement with the movie in the ComingSoon interview with Stoller.

Source: Reelz Channel

Universal Pictures has hired Rob Letterman to direct and Nicholas Stoller to rewrite Stretch Armstrong, the big screen adaptation of the action figure, to be played by “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner.

Hasbro’s action figure was popular around the world beginning in the 1970s and re-launched in the 1990s.

Letterman directed 20th Century Fox’s upcoming Gulliver’s Travels, which was co-written by Stoller. Letterman also co-directed Monsters vs. Aliens, while Stoller co-wrote and directed Universal’s Get Him to the Greek. Stoller also directed the studio’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Steve Oedekerk wrote the original screenplay for Stretch Armstrong.

Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer is producing with Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir for Hasbro. Kim Roth is executive producing for Imagine.

SOURCE: ComingSoon.Net

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve learned that after 5 PM today, bidders will be told who won that Taylor Lautner-attached script Abducted which the new motion picture lit agency Verve sent out for its client Shawn Christensen. (At one point, Lionsgate had an exclusive negotiating window but couldn’t agree on terms.) Meanwhile, there’s a lot more Lautner news. He and Skydance’s flyboy movie Northern Lights have “respectfully parted ways over casting issues”, sources tell me, noting, “Taylor’s people want to step up and put the best actors and directors around him.” (I hear the Northern Lights project will continue to move forward without Lautner…) Now 5 more movies have been offered to the Twilight Saga’s 18-year-old co-star, including 2 for that open April slot. As for that new salary high of $7.5 million Skydance had offered him for Northern Lights, I’ve learned that Universal paid him that sum to play the title role in Stretch Armstrong. It’s good to be Taylor right now. (And let me talk you off the ledge if you’re not.)

SOURCE: Deadline Hollywood

Though plans for a topless Taylor Lautner edition of Stretch Armstrong in toy stores haven’t been announced yet, Goldner said such dolls and figures “would be in the realm of possibility” — even if Mattel toys from the “New Moon” actor’s other superhero film, “Max Steel,” end up on shelves too.

Video Games:
Video games may be another part of the rollout, with “Stretch Armstrong” looking to shoot in 3-D and emphasize all the extra perspectives it can around Lautner’s moves.

Shirtlessness:
As for how many of those 3-D scenes will display Lautner’s famous abs, the producer couldn’t offer anything more than passing the responsibility on to the “Stretch Armstrong” creators. “I leave that to the filmmakers to decide,” he said.

SOURCE: MTV

He kinda has to be shirtless. My brother had one of those dolls and he didn’t have like any clothes besides pants….

FROM MTV.COM: Team Jacob has reason to celebrate: “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner has signed on to star in “Stretch Armstrong,” based on the action figure from Hasbro.

The Hollywood Reporter announced Lautner’s commitment to “Armstrong,” Universal’s upcoming 3-D adaptation of the Hasbro toy property slated for release at some point in 2012. The film was initially scheduled for May 15, 2011, before Lautner’s involvement.

“Stretch Armstrong” focuses on an uptight spy who inadvertently exposes himself to a formula that allows him to physically stretch his body to great lengths. With his newfound ability, the spy is forced to not only re-adjust to everyday life, but also to rethink his own crime-fighting tactics.

SOURCE: MTV