'Stretch Armstrong' Writer Acknowledges The Gravitational Pull Of Taylor Lautner's Abs

'Stretch Armstrong' Writer Acknowledges The Gravitational Pull Of Taylor Lautner's Abs



Okay, I think we can all agree that Stretch Armstrong isn't exactly a traditional "superhero" per se, but the fact remains that the popular Hasbro toy is becoming one on the big screen, courtesy of an upcoming live-action film starring "Twilight" alum Taylor Lautner.

And while "Stretch Armstrong" screenwriter Nick Stoller ("Get Him To The Greek") once compared the tone of the film to "Iron Man" (something Lautner questioned in a subsequent interview), there's a good chance that the real superpower on display in the film could be Lautner's mutant ability to attract audiences... to his abs.

"[Lautner] will not wear a shirt," Stoller joked to MTV News. "Yeah, he won’t wear a shirt through the whole thing."

All kidding aside, Stoller said he's not only well aware of the media's obsession with the "Stretch Armstrong" star, he's had to carefully choose his words in order to avoid getting caught in the public demand for anything and everything related to Lautner's abdominal muscles.

"I gave an interview about how I had a meeting with Taylor Lautner [and] with Rob Letterman, who's directing the movie, and in real life [Lautner] is a very good-looking guy," said Stoller. "I kind of joked about how good-looking he was to some interviewer, and then on the internet was: 'Writer Of Stretch Armstrong Thinks Taylor Lautner Is Hot.'"

"I was half joking about it, but yeah, I’m sure we will find a way for him not to have his shirt on at some point in the movie," he laughed.

As for the film itself, Stoller described "Stretch Armstrong" as a "full-on superhero movie," adding that it was "very grounded, kind of in the "Bourne" way, but kind of a cool superhero movie, too."

"We have to create a whole mythology for this character, because there’s nothing — there’s no conflict, because it's not based on anything except a stretchy toy," he explained.

Of course, having one of Hollywood's most popular actors as the male lead is a nice bonus, too.

"It's really exciting to get to work with a star who’s so white-hot right now," he laughed. "When we were hanging out with him, I’ve never seen more people come up to a celebrity before, so it was pretty cool. He’s just this really nice kid, [and] it’s such a funny thing to witness."

"He’s smart, he’s got really good notes on the script, and yeah, he’s just the real deal," said Stoller. "And yeah, he happens to have an awesome six-pack."