Update: Twilight's Taylor Lautner WILL play MAX STEEL

UPDATE: Variety reports that Taylor Lautner has officially signed on to star in Max Steel.

Back in July we reported that Paramount Pictures picked up the right to the action figure toy line Max Steel. Steel isn't as popular as G.I. Joe and if director Stephen Sommers wanted to ruin a toy franchise then Max Steel should have been it, not G.I. Joe. At the same time I thought, 'what if they got a better director and put together a better story?' Maybe Max Steel would end up being a better movie than G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, maybe Paramount would try and do a better job developing this one?

I guess not. Paramount is currently looking at Twilight star Taylor Lautner (Jacob) to take on the role of Max Steel. Apparently his talent reps are really pushing  for him to get the role. Paramount and other studios are eager to cast Lautner because he can bring young women into theaters, always a positive for any action picture.

Lautner would play Josh McGrath, a 19-year-old extreme-sports athlete who is accidentally exposed to the unleashed power of nanotechological machines, which become part of him and give him increased strength, near-invulnerability and the ability to change his appearance.

J.P. Lavin and Chad Damiani are in the process of writing the script. The duo is also writing the screenplay for the Warner Bros. superhero action movie Capeshooters, based on the Rob Liefeld comic book, as well as the Liefeld property Youngblood.

At this point I have no hope at all for Max Steel turning out to be a decent movie. Back in 2001 the Mattel toy made over $100 million dollars in sales, and spawned a pretty awful animated TV series. Is there still a market out there for Max Steel? I guess we'll find out, I think Paramount is counting on the Taylor Lautner female market to carry this movie. You know all of the male Twilight haters are going to stay away from it due to the fact of who may end up starring in the film.

Source: LA Times