Taylor Lautner is STRETCH ARMSTRONG

From ComingSoon.net:

"Universal Pictures has announced the The Twilight Saga star Taylor Lautner will will play the title character in Stretch Armstrong, which will be made in 3D, while the studio has moved back Battleship to Memorial Day Weekend in 2012:

'Universal Pictures announced breaking news about two of its upcoming event films based on popular Hasbro brands, Stretch Armstrong and Battleship. The announcements were made today by Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson and Co-Chairman Donna Langley.

Taylor Lautner (The Twilight Saga) will play the title character in the upcoming 3-D superhero adventure Stretch Armstrong, to be released in 2012.

The epic action-adventure Battleship has moved its release to May 25, anchoring the Memorial Day weekend of 2012.

'Universal has put all the elements in place to successfully launch two of our classic Hasbro brands on the big screen,' said Brian Goldner, President and CEO of Hasbro, Inc. 'The addition of Taylor Lautner and the 3-D twist to Stretch Armstrong, in addition to giving Pete Berg and the filmmakers the extra time and resources to make Battleship an even bigger summer blockbuster, is sure to pay dividends when the film is released in 2012.'

Peter Berg (Hancock, The Kingdom) came aboard in Fall 2009 to produce and direct Battleship, which will unfold as a massive Naval adventure across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Originally slated for release in July 2011, the film was moved to give it the time and resources to thoroughly realize its huge-scale ambitions and position it for Memorial Day weekend in 2012. Scott Stuber (The Wolfman, Couples Retreat) is producing Battleship through his Universal-based Stuber Pictures, and Sarah Aubrey (The Kingdom, upcoming Dune) is producing with Berg for Film 44. Brian Goldner and Bennet Schneir are producing for Hasbro.

'We believe in Pete Berg and the incredible vision that he and the Battleship team have for this film,' said Fogelson. 'We're honored that Hasbro is partnering with us to turn one of its landmark properties into a huge summer box-office hit.'

Stretch Armstrong is moving to 2012 to allot time to shape the project into a 3-D superhero adventure and to accommodate Lautner's existing commitments.

'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.'

Stretch Armstrong is based on the iconic action figure made popular around the world beginning in the 1970s and re-launched in the 1990s. Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, 8 Mile, American Gangster) will team with Hasbro to bring Stretch Armstrong to life. Steve Oedekerk (Bruce Almighty) has written the screenplay, and Hasbro's Goldner and Schneir also produce."

You know what this means, don't you? Girls will now be able to purchase their own stretchable Taylor Lautner. Know what I mean? Let's just hope they don't rip whatever's in Stretch Armstrong all over themselves.

UPDATE:

"Universal Pictures announced on Friday that the Peter Berg-directed Battleship was moving from July 29, 2011 to May 25, 2012. That would have left the July 29 spot to only Sony's The Smurfs, but Universal now also says that the Jon Favreau-directed Cowboys & Aliens will be coming to theaters that weekend.

The DreamWorks project, based on the Platinum Studios Comics graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, will star Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof wrote the script.

The sci-fi Western explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies -- cowboys and Native Americans -- found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona."

Shawn Levy is the man of STEEL

From ComingSoon.net:

"Action director Peter Berg, who had been talking with DreamWorks about taking on the studio's futuristic robot boxing movie Real Steel, has moved on, opening up the gig to Shawn Levy.

Levy is known for directing and producing broad, hit comedies such as the two Night at the Museum movies, which have grossed nearly $1 billion in worldwide box office. But the Steel story line takes place in a near future where human boxing has been outlawed, and heavy, humanoid robots slug it out in the ring instead. Into this world step a father and his estranged teenage son, who train an extraordinary fighter.

Levy's participation could mean a change in tone for the adventure project and/or a stretching of the creative muscles for the director, who has signed on with DreamWorks to take a swing at it.

'I'm thrilled to be working with Shawn on this project,' DreamWorks CEO and co-chair Stacey Snider said. 'He's a master of combining heart and human stories with fantastic visuals. I'm sure that in his capable hands, Real Steel will be a film that touches and excites all audiences."

John Gatins (Dreamer) is writing the most recent draft of the Real Steel screenplay.

Angry Films' Don Murphy and Susan Montford are producing. Steven Spielberg will exec produce along with ImageMovers' Jack Rapke, Robert Zemeckis and Steve Starkey. Levy also will serve in a producing capacity.

DreamWorks originally purchased the Dan Gilroy-penned spec in 2003 for ImageMovers to produce, and new Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman developed it there as production president. Screenwriters Jeremy Leven (The Notebook) and Les Bohem (The Alamo) worked on the script as well.

The project was then among those that DreamWorks purchased from Paramount when it split from the studio last fall. In recent months, DreamWorks has been bustling with activity as it completed its multistrand financing deals with India's Reliance ADA and a syndication of banks.

Steel would be distributed by Disney.

The project began generating heat this summer when Berg (Hancock) started circling it. The director ultimately decided to concentrate on two Universal projects -- an adaptation of the Hasbro game Battleship and the Afghan war story Lone Survivor -- so Spielberg called Levy last week to ask if he were interested.

'Steven's passion for this project was absolutely infectious and I'm so excited to bring this story to life,' Levy said. 'In a movie filled with these mechanical warriors, at its core Real Steel is an incredibly human story.'

Levy is finishing up his latest comedy, Date Night, which Fox will release in April. He has a dozen other projects in development as a director and producer through his 21 Laps Entertainment banner."

Awesome!! The first major Disney movie from both Steven Spielberg and Shawn Levy, two of my directing heroes!! YAY!!

So is this like Rocky but with robots?

BATTLESHIP sets sail for July 2011!

From ComingSoon.net:

"Universal Pictures has set a July 1, 2011 for the Peter Berg-directed Battleship, a live-action adaptation of Hasbro's board game.

Variety says the deal is part of a two-picture pact Berg has made with the studio, where he'll follow Battleship with the Afghan war drama Lone Survivor.

The Battleship script was written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber. Production is scheduled to begin next spring.

Berg called the film 'a contemporary story of an international five-ship fleet engaged in a very dynamic, violent and intense battle.'

Other projects in development for Berg, including Dune and Hancock 2, will come later.

Other Hasbro adaptations in the works at Universal include Stretch Armstrong (April 11, 2011) with Steve Oedekerk, Clue with Gore Verbinski, Monopoly with Ridley Scott, Candy Land with Kevin Lima and Ouija with Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes."

I'm hoping he puts at least some humor in it, like The Rundown and Hancock.

HANCOCK 2 will have Will Smith and Charlize Theron

From Slashfilm:

"Not long ago we heard that a sequel to Hancock, the goofy, sometime fun, sometimes just dumb superhero flick starring Will Smith, was almost certainly a go. Questions ed, however, primarily with respect to the cast. Would Will Smith return? What about Charlize Theron? According to director Peter Berg, the answer to both questions is yes.

Speaking to MTV, Berg recently said 'everybody’s going to come back for a sequel.' Not a surprise for Theron, since she’s already said she’d return if everyone else came back for another go-round. ('With those guys? If everybody’s on board? Yeah!' Theron told MTV last year. 'Riding the Will Smith train is a really nice train to ride.') Will Smith’s involvement isn’t exactly a surprise, but if he’s really locked in then expect to hear about this going forward quickly. As one of the only true global superstars, nothing gets a big movie greenlit faster than a -up from Smith.

Not that we know what the movie might be about. Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara are writing, but that’s all we’ve got. Berg once said that there might be another god out there somewhere, which means another high-profile talent to add to the cast.

Spoiler time, if you haven’t seen the first film: we learned that Smith and Theron’s characters were really ages-old gods who become weaker when they’re near each other. Improbably they both ended up in LA, connected by Jason Bateman’s character. So now a third god? The resolution to the original film was a huge, ridiculous cop-out (the notion of Hancock really being an alcoholic human superhero was a lot more interesting) so this angle doesn’t sound appealing at all."

I agree. Make this better.