Transformers, you have a lot to answer for. It was always inevitable that the success of Michael Bay’s giant robots movie would lead to a flood of toy adaptations. This summer, we’ve got G.I. Joe incoming (and that looks *amazing, *doesn't it? Doesn't it? Hello?), and today it’s been confirmed that Brian Grazer will produce Universal’s adaptation of Stretch Armstrong.
Based on the popular 1970s Kenner toy, Stretch Armstrong is about a man who can stretch his limbs to incredible lengths. And, erm, that’s it. Growing up, we were never really into Armstrong; we looked upon him as a cheap Mr. Fantastic knock-off, but apparently he’s massive in the States and so a movie version makes sense. And Grazer’s presence as producer is also rather apt, given that he can stretch his hair over incredible distances.
Given Stretch’s powers, though, the film version almost has to be a comedy for it to even begin to work, and so we’re slightly relieved to see that Steve Oedekerk has been tapped to write the screenplay. ‘Relieved’ because Oedekerk has a comedy background. ‘Slightly’ because that comedy background includes Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, Patch Adams, The Nutty Professor and Kung Pow: Enter The Fist.
Still, the movie is being billed as an action adventure, and we’re sure that Universal and Grazer will be tailoring the role for a major comedy star – a Ferrell, Carrey, Carell, Stiller, Wilson, Rogen or Day-Lewis.
"It's a story about a guy stretching, if you will, the limits of what is possible to become all that he can be,” Grazer told The Hollywood Reporter, which sounds like this film might well have a message behind it. Frankly, that would be a shock, as we’re expecting nothing more than a barrage of ‘can you stretch your willy?’ jokes.
Still, Universal and Hasbro – the toy company that owns Armstrong and which has teamed up with Universal to oversee adaptations of its properties – are clearly confident that Stretch has a tentpole in the making (see? There’s one already…), for they’ve bagsied a release date already: April 15, 2011.