The big-screen adaptation of the flexible toy Stretch Armstrong will finally make its way to the big screen thanks to a new partnership between Hasbro and Relativity Media. However, Twilight star Taylor Lautner 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.

Lautner has stumbled in launching a post-Twilight career. The teen pin-up’s recent bid for stardom, last fall’s Abduction, disappointed the box office, grossing $82 million worldwide on a $32 million budget. Lautner will next appear in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” and is in pre-production on “Incarceron.” “Stretch Armstrong” was originally in development at Universal, which was eyeing a 2012 release for the film. Lautner was on tap to earn a reported $7.5 million for the movie. He had cleared his dance card fit the big-budget project into his schedule, dropping out of the superhero film “Max Steel” and the extreme flying story “Northern Lights.”

The domestic distributor will be the Relativity and will release the film internationally. The film is targeted for an April 11, 2014 release date. The film will be produced by Relativity’s CEO Brian Goldner (“Transformers”) and Bennett Schneir, senior vice president and managing director, motion pictures (“Battleship”). Relativity Co-President “Stretch Armstrong” will draw its inspiration from the action hero figure first launched by Hasbro in 1976 and re-launched in the 90’s. The original “Stretch” could over and over and always return back to his original size.

A press release issued on January 31st by Relativity makes no mention of Lautner or director Rob Letterman, so seems they’re starting completely from scratch. According to it, Deadline has learned that the Twilight Saga star is no longer attached adding that the Tay-Tay camp is claiming it was their choice to pull out of the film. But in fact a project insider told Deadline months ago right after Lautner’s Lionsgate film Abduction bombed that the studio was rethinking the project with Lautner as star but that Hasbro would make the final decision on the status of the project.

The “Twilight” heartthrob is reportedly set to begin work on an independent film with Oscar-winner Gus Van Sant. When MTV asked Lautner about “Stretch Armstrong” last year, he seemed excited to explore the unknown with “Armstrong,” since the film version is a brand new concept and not a reboot or sequel. He also admitted that the character’s superpower – the ability to stretch one’s body parts to extremes – is hardly super at all. Lautner said that it is like the worst superhero power, possibly, to get, and how you are going to take that and use it for good and how you are going to be creative with that is the predicament. The awesome thing with toys is it does not give you a story line, so you get to create it.

Although no creative decisions have been made yet, “Muppets” and Get Him to the Greek” screenwriter Nick Stoller was originally attached to write the script and has said the film would be an origin story similar to the tone set in “Iron Man.” A new cast will be announced soon.

Photos of the hunky Twilight Saga co-star Taylor Lautner.

Taylor Lautner is an American actor and a model artist, who was born on February 11, 1992 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the son of Deborah and Daniel Lautner, a software development worker and a Mildwest Airlines pilot. He is the older brother of Makena. He was baptized with the real name of Taylor Daniel Lautner and was raised as a Roman Catholic. He has the combination of German, French and Dutch heritage and also had distant Native American ancestry.

At the young age of six, Taylor Lautner took his first karate class and after one year, he entered the national karate tournament held in Louisville, Kentucky, where he met the founder of the extreme martial arts, Michael Chaturantabut and for so many years, Lautner trained with him. Lautner became a black belter when he was just eight and already won several junior championships.

After relocating to Los Angeles, Lautner starred in a small TV roles and small film roles. He first appeared on the TV film of Shadpw Fury. Hs voice was then featured in one of the commercials of Rugrats Go Wild. In year 2005, Lautner was included in the casts of the comedy film of Cheaer by the Dozen2, where he portrayed the role Eliot Murtaugh. On the same year, Lautner earned his first breakout role when appeared on the film of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D. it was said that Lautner stayed in Austin, Texas just to shoot the said movie. However, the film garnered negative reviews from lots of critics. On the other hand, he still earned a nomination in the Young Artist Awards for the Best Performance in a Feature film by a Leading actor in year 2006.

On the following year, filmmakers started n seeking for the actors to play the role of Jacob Black, who is a Native American companion of Bella Swan in first film of the Twilight Saga film series. Lautner does not have any idea about the said film before but still, he was encouraged by his agent to audition. He became part of the said film and exchanged lines with the lead female role, played by Kirstin Stewart, in the Twilight Saga: New Moon and the Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The film earned success and had a total grossed amount of $392 Million worldwide. On the other hand, the film of Twilight Saga: New Moon, where Lautner also starred had the highest opening weekend in domestic history with the amount of $142, 839,137.

Taylor returned on the Twilight film of Eclipse in year 2010, which garnered mixed reviews from the critics. The film landed on the 36th spot of the Highest Grossing film of all-time in United States and in Canada. The fame of Lautner and the casts of the film, continue to top.  Lautner garnered the award for the Best Fantasy Actor at the Scream Awards in year 2010 and earned a nomination on the recent 37th People’s Choice Awards for the category of Favorite Movie Actor for his portrayal in the film of Eclipse.

Taylor Lautner Photo Gallery