Stretch Armstrong

[GeneChing]

I never understood Stretch Armstrong.

Taylor Lautner in 'Stretch Armstrong' movie: studio (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jzXjAtRgrIbMAJ5QpQ3T_AjFVvOA)
(AFP) – 1 day ago

LOS ANGELES — Teenage heart-throb Taylor Lautner is to star as "Stretch Armstrong" in the latest Hollywood movie inspired by a best-selling action figure from toymakers Hasbro, a statement said Monday.

Lautner, one of the stars of the "Twilight" vampire films, will play Armstrong, a popular 1970s toy featuring gel-filled limbs that stretch to improbable lengths, Universal Studios said in a statement.

"In the past two years, Taylor has emerged as a real star at the global box office," Universal Pictures co-chairman Donna Langley said.

"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."

The 3-D film comes after Hasbro successfully brought its Transformers and GI Joe products to the big screen. A 2012 release date has been scheduled for Armstrong, which will be produced by Oscar-winner Brian Grazer.

Universal and Hasbro are also partnering for a film based on another iconic toy, "Battleship."

The film will be made as a maritime action adventure and released in summer 2012, Universal said.

[doug maverick]

how SNL made taylor lautner into an action star, usually i always like to give a movie a try, but stretch armstrong was a cornball toy, and im gonna say this thing is a flop in the making.


FROM MTV.COM: Taylor Lautner's werewolf performance in "New Moon" netted him his own line of shirtless "Twilight" toys from NECA and legions of female fans. But his flips and mixed martial arts skills during his opening monologue on "Saturday Night Live" last year brought one of Hasbro's most famous toy lines, Stretch Armstrong, to him when Universal offered up the title role in the movie adaptation.

"He is a real actor," Hasbro CEO and "Stretch Armstrong" producer Brian Goldner told MTV News. "And it was so clear to us as we saw him in 'Twilight.' 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."

but definition the mma comment is correct xma is a mixture of various martial arts and acrobatics...so saying he is a mixed martial artist would be a correct.

[GeneChing]

'Stretch Armstrong' Finds New Home at Relativity; Taylor Lautner No Longer Starring (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stretch-armstrong-relativity-taylor-lautner-285783)
The movie project based on the classic Hasbro toy had previously been set up at Universal.
9:24 AM PST 1/30/2012 by Borys Kit
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_570x321/2012/01/stretch_armstrong_movie.jpg

Stretch Armstrong has found a new home at Relativity.

The movie project, based on the classic Hasbro toy, had been set up at Universal with Taylor Lautner to star but has now found itself at Relativity.

Lautner is no longer involved, and neither are director Rob Letterman or Imagine Entertainment as producers.

But without those elements, Relativity is moving full steam ahead, setting an April 11, 2014, release date for what it is calling a live-action tentpole. Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh, Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennet Schnier are producing while Relativity’s Tucker Tooley is exec producing. Letterman is also exec producing.

Stretch was introduced as a toy in 1976. The toy was different from other action figures in the sense he could be stretched out, twisted and folded but he always returned to his original form. The toy had a big relaunch in the 1990s and that’s when Hollywood took serious interest. Caravan Pictures and Disney were homes for the property while Tim Allen and Jackie Chan were some actors that were associated with it.

Stretch was part of a series of properties that were part of a Hasbro-Universal pact made in 2008. It had several release dates (the first one was April 15, 2011) that were pushed back until the project eventually left the studio.

Relativity will distribute Stretch domestically and work with its foreign partners on the international release. The company currently has the Gina Carano action movie Haywire in theatres.
Name drops both Jackie and Gina! Awesome!

[GeneChing]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2012

Relativity and Hasbro Team Up to
Bring Stretch Armstrong to the Big Screen
Targeted for April 11, 2014 Release

(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 30, 2012 *Relativity Media has partnered with global branded play company Hasbro, Inc. [NASDAQ-HAS] to develop and produce a live-action tent-pole film based on Stretch Armstrong, the iconic action hero figure launched in the 1970s, it was announced today by Relativity’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley and Hasbro’s President and CEO, Brian Goldner.

Relativity will be the domestic distributor and will release the film internationally through its network of foreign output partners. The film is targeted for an April 11, 2014 release date.

The film will be produced by Relativity’s CEO, Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter), Hasbro’s Goldner (Transformers) and Bennett Schneir, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Motion Pictures (Battleship). Tooley (Immortals) will serve as executive producer.

Hasbro has become an entertainment powerhouse by creating hit movies and television shows from its rich portfolio of world class brands. Since 2007, Hasbro's Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises have grossed nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office. 2012 is shaping up to be another stellar year for Hasbro with its partners Universal Pictures releasing Battleship in April and Paramount Pictures releasing G.I. Joe: Retaliation in June. In television, Hasbro Studios produces shows like Transformers Prime and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that can be seen on the HUB television network in the U.S. and in more than 140 countries globally.

“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Hasbro, a company whose global reach and ability to innovate has made them immensely successful in the arena of brand re-imagination-- as evidenced by their legacy of creating such franchises as Transformers and G.I. Joe,” said Tooley, “We look forward to bringing Stretch Armstrong to audiences worldwide.”

“Stretch Armstrong is a great example of Hasbro’s rich portfolio of intellectual properties that we are continuing to develop globally,” said Goldner, “We are excited to partner with Relativity on this movie as they are a growing and innovative studio.”

Stretch Armstrong is the classic action hero figure first launched by Hasbro in 1976 and re-launched in the 90’s, sold successfully throughout North America and in markets across the world. The original Stretch's unique design broke free of traditional action figures, as he could be stretched over and over and always returned back to his original size. The nostalgic toy is considered to be rare and collectible to this day.

Relativity recently released Oscar®-winner Steven Soderbergh’s dynamic action-thriller Haywire in theatres. Looking ahead, Relativity will release the the heart-pounding Navy SEAL action-thriller Act of Valor (in theatres February 24, 2012) and magical adventure comedy Mirror Mirror (in theatres March 30, 2012), starring Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Nathan Lane and Armie Hammer. The studio just wrapped production on the comedy 21 and Over and is currently in pre-production on Nicholas Sparks’ gripping love story Safe Haven and the international espionage thriller Hunter Killer.

ABOUT RELATIVITY MEDIA
Relativity Media is a next-generation studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment, including full-scale film and television production and distribution, the co-financing of major studio film slates, music publishing, sports management and digital media. Additionally, the company makes strategic partnerships with, and investments in, media and entertainment-related companies and assets.

To date, Relativity has produced, distributed, and/or structured financing for more than 200 motion pictures. Released films have accumulated more than $17 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Relativity’s recent films include: Immortals, Tower Heist, Bridesmaids, Hop, Limitless, Anonymous,Machine Gun Preacher, Cowboys & Aliens, Battle: Los Angeles, Season of The Witch, Little Fockers, The Fighter, The Social Network, Salt,Despicable Me, Grown Ups, Dear John, It’s Complicated, Couples Retreat and Zombieland. Upcoming films for Relativity include: Haywire, Act of Valor, The Raven, Mirror Mirror, 21 Jump Street, American Reunion, and The Bourne Legacy. Thirty-eight of the company’s films have opened to No. 1 at the box office. Relativity films have earned 60 Oscar® nominations, including nods for The Fighter, The Social Network, The Wolfman, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma. Sixty-two of Relativity’s films have each generated more than $100 million in worldwide box-office receipts.

Relativity also owns and operates Rogue Pictures, a company that specializes in films targeted to the 13-25 year old audience, and RogueLife, Relativity’s digital studio which is developing original content for the Web and creating sustainable online platforms and communities. RelativityREAL, Relativity’s television arm, has 67 projects in production, including 17 original series that are currently airing or will air in the upcoming television season including Police Women for TLC, Coming Home for Lifetime and The Great Food Truck Race for Food Network. For additional information, please visit www.relativitymedia.com<http://www.relativitymedia.com/>.

ABOUT HASBRO
Hasbro, Inc.<http://www.hasbro.com/> (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Hub, Hasbro’s multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com<http://www.hubworld.com/>. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.

We worked with reps for Relativity for Haywire (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1021).

[Jimbo]

There was a short-lived group of toy robots that came out for about a year in the early '70s called (I think) The Ding-A-Lings. Someone (probably Michael Bay) will eventually remember those and make a movie about them.

Then will come the Weebles movie.

[GeneChing]

There already was a weebles movie.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XECF18CZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

:o

[Jimbo]

Dam n, and I missed that! :D

[GeneChing]

IMDB actually lists two Weebles movies:
1. Weebles: Sharing in the Fun (2005) (V)
2. Weebles: Welcome to Weebleville (2004) (V)

I'm sure Taylor could snag a role in part 3.

Nothing on the Ding-A-Lings yet.