'SNL' Helps Taylor Lautner Sealed 'Stretch Armstrong' Role

Thu, 18 February 2010 01:44:30 ET

Recalling what attracts him to tap the 'Twilight Saga' star for the superhero role, producer Brian Goldner points out on the martial art skill the teen actor displayed on 'Saturday Night Live' stint.

Taylor Lautner's hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live" apparently plays a big role in him landing a lead role in "Stretch Armstrong". Hasbro CEO and the superhero movie producer, Brian Goldner, recently told MTV News that it was the 18-year-old's exhibition of his martial arts skill on the sketch show that secures the deal.

Praising the Jacob Black depicter as "a real actor", Goldner first pointed out, "And it was so clear to us as we saw him in 'Twilight.' " He elaborated, "And we look for insights from every audience about where we should go with our brands, so when I saw my daughter and all of her friends go crazy for him, and then I saw the background that he was also this mixed martial arts expert in that 'Saturday Night Live' piece ... that was the real deal."

Of the character Lautner will be portraying, the Hasbro topper said, "He's an accidental superhero. Really what he is, is he's going to be a guy much like himself." He went on detailing, "A guy who knows mixed martial arts, a guy who is going off to college, a guy who's trying to have a freshman year at college - something along those lines - and everything kind of ensues from there."

Taylor Lautner was, on February 5, announced as the actor who will take on the titular character in "Stretch Armstrong". On his appointment, Universal's Co-Chairman Donna Langley gushed, "He brings the perfect balance of energy and athleticism to the role of an unlikely super hero with a fantastic super power. We couldn't be more pleased that he has agreed to be our Stretch." It will be his second time headlining action hero movie after "Max Steel".

Based on Hasbro's iconic action figure made popular in the 1970s, "Stretch Armstrong" itself will be presented as a 3-D superhero adventure. "Bruce Almighty" writer Steve Oedekerk provided the screenplay. Producer Brian Grazer will team up with Hasbro's Brian Goldner and Bennet Schneir as producers. It is expected to hit theaters across the U.S. in 2012.

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