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Taylor Lautner fans could use a little happy news after dismal box office reports for Abduction. So here you go! The plan to turn the Stretch Armstrong toy into a movie is moving along, but the producers will have to make it happen without our favorite Twilight star.
That's right, Taylor has pulled his name from the studios' attempt to cash in on our nostalgia for the rubbery action figure. It might be the smartest move he's made since, oh, I don't know, taking a little role as a teenager living on a Native American reservation near Forks, Washington a few years ago!
The Stretch movie has some good mojo around it with Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter) and Hasbro President and CEO Brian Goldner (Transformers) signed on as producers. It could do gangbusters at the box office with the right actor in the lead. This fan is just happy Taylor has decided he's not it.
Let's just step back here for a minute and think about who Taylor Lautner is and who he isn't. He is a talented teenager who makes teenage girls (and, um, old hags like me) flock to movie theaters in droves because they want to be his girlfriend. If Abduction is any indication, however, he's not an action star.
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And that's OK! He's not even 20 yet! He has plenty of time to grow into the role of big, strong, burly man who can kick ass and take names in a major adventure flick. By that time he'll be the hunky guy you want to marry type who can sweep you off your feet, beat up some bad guys, and make you dinner. We will all swoon.
But that is then. Right now, TLaut is really more the charming, adorable "OK to date my daughter because he will respect her and want to care of her" kind of guy. Which is exactly what makes him perfect for the movie version of Catherine Fisher's young adult fantasy/love story Incarceron. Good thing rumors say that's his next project, huh?
I'm glad Taylor's playing it a little safe. A box office flop happens to the best of actors, but the ones with real staying power in the industry know it's a good time to re-evaluate your projects. Passing on Stretch just proves Taylor has what it takes to stick around in the biz.
What do you think of Taylor keeping his focus on playing a young guy in love instead of going for action stardom?
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