Talk about your failure to launch. Twilight actor Taylor Lautner has really been struggling to get his acting career off the ground. Although he’s been acting since he was a kid, his movies (like Sharkboy) never brought a whole lot of revenue in. Since appearing in the Twi movie series, he’s reached international stardom and crazy levels of fame, but for whatever reason when he is not playing the werewolf character Jacob Black against co-stars Kristen Stewart (as Bella Swan) and Robert Pattinson (as Edward Cullen) his fans don’t seem to be willing to support his career efforts the same in any other films. Now he’s been cut from playing the lead role in the comic book super hero movie Stretch Armstrong. Wondering why? Here’s our theory…
Since his latest movie Abduction had poor box office results, people who really did want to see Taylor Lautner make a more interesting film were starting to get psyched at the news he was scheduled to play the comic book super hero Stretch Armstrong. The movie is still in pre-planning and production stages and is expected to hit the big screen sometime in 2014, but news just broke that the Twilight actor is — at this point — probably out.
Twilight, as a movie series, might have done well as a cult classic film, but there are very few who would say that any one of the three big name film stars (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, or Taylor Lautner) gave the most stellar acting performances in any one of the films.
Now granted, Lautner with his shirt of has remarkable abs that look all kinds of hot male celebrity sexy and there is a certain level of je ne sais quois in the idea of sparkly vegetarian vampires seducing perfectly cute teenage girls for rabid romance, but still…
According to The Wrap:
The big-screen adaptation of the flexible, stretchable toy will finally make its way to the big screen thanks to a new partnership between Hasbro and Relativity Media.
However, the “Twilight” star will no longer be headlining the project due to scheduling conflicts, an individual with knowledge of the project confirmed to TheWrap.
A new cast will be announced shortly.
They also noted, “Lautner has stumbled in launching a post-“Twilight” career — the teen pin-up’s recent bid for stardom, last fall’s “Abduction,” disappointed at the box office, grossing grossed $82 million worldwide on a $35 million budget.” Ouch.
The thing that seems to have been Lautner’s downfall when being cast as a macho figure in Abduction and that may have gotten him nixed from the Stretch Armstrong action adventure pic may still be that fateful Robert Pattinson big gay kiss.
You see, uptight Christian parents who would foot the bill for their teenage daughters to watch werewolves and vampires battle for the immortal soul and cherry of an Emo-teen, wayward girl simply could not embrace giving popcorn and movie ticket allowance to their kids to go watch a cute boy who might not be all that interested in kissing girls.
Even if the rumor Taylor Lautner is gay is false, unless he switches to doing romantic comedies with outlandish stunts or some sort of Cowboy and Indian film that is more like Dances With Wolves (starring Kevin Costner) than Brokeback Mountain (starring Jake Gyllenhaal), he’s likely to continue having a tough time getting his real fan base to be allowed out of their parents house to see whatever is the latest movie he’s done.
So, while the production team and the actor’s press camp might be saying that he won’t play the lead due to scheduling conflicts, the chances of them hiring someone equally hot but less famous to play Stretch Armstrong for half the money is probably looking pretty great.