While Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson are doing drama gigs in between Twilight movies, Jacob a.k.a Taylor Lautner seems to have found his calling in the action world. He previously signed on to star in the big screen version of MAX STEEL and now Summit is grooming the fangirls’ heartthrob for another action gig that’s been described as Taken meets Die Hard…
Variety said Summit has bought an untitled script by Eric Champnella and Grant Thompson, but Hollywood Reporter said the script’s working title is CANCUN. The project will be produced by Lautner’s dad, Dan Lautner through their own banner Tailor Made Entertainment along with Temple Hill partners Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen.
So what is it about this movie that’s so Taken and Die Hard all of a sudden?
Here’s the plot… Lautner is set to play a college kid who couldn’t realize his dream of becoming an elite soldier to an injury. He meets a girl who convinces him to join her friends on a spring break trip to Cancun. Over there, the girl and her friends are kidnapped and taken hostage by a drug cartel leader about to be extradited, and so Lautner, the college kid, is forced to use his skills to save them.
Ok,.. I guess I can see the Taken meets Die Hard element in that plot. Yippie Kay Yay, anybody?
Turns out Lautner watched Taken during the filming of New Moon and wanted to do something as badass as what Liam Neeson did. This Cancun action movie would allow Lautner to apply his physical skills that he displayed when he hosted SNL recently.
The CANCUN project is expected to start filming next June, possibly after he’s done promoting ECLIPSE.. and then after that he’ll start shooting for BREAKING DAWN in fall 2010.
So what do you think action fans? Should we welcome Taylor Lautner as the next action star? Dwayne Johnson could’ve easily been the next Arnold or the next Sly but he chose to do family films, so should we settle for Lautner instead?
Is there a chance that if Sly Stallone makes THE EXPENDABLES Sequel in the near future that he’d call Lautner to join in?
