Max Steel

[craigdbfan]

Paramount toys with 'Max Steel' pic

"Just weeks before Paramount Pictures invades theaters with "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra," the studio is teaming with Joe Roth to pick up Mattel's "Max Steel" as another action figure it wants to play with on the bigscreen.
The toy property revolves around a 19-year-old extreme sports junkie recruited by a secret agency after an accident infects his body with nanobots, making him superhuman.

Although Mattel introduced the character in the U.S. in 1999 as an action figure, and soon after in an animated series that ran from 2000-2002, he's proved more popular in Latin America, where Max Steel is the region's No. 1 action figure. Mattel has continued to produce animated direct-to-DVD features for the region, produced by Rainmaker Entertainment in Vancouver.

But Mattel wants to use movies as a way to relaunch the toy line in the U.S. and the rest of the world, the way the "Transformers" pics have helped generate new heat around Hasbro's action figures.

"A theatrical film plays a significant role to relaunch the franchise," said Barry Waldo, Mattel's VP of worldwide entertainment marketing and strategy. "But we have a strong Latin consumer we're going to keep happy while broadening the franchise for the rest of the world. We wouldn't do ourselves a favor if we turned a blind eye to it. That's the artistic challenge we've got."

Roth, who is a producer on Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" at Disney, and produced last summer's "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army," will serve as executive producer on "Max Steel," with Waldo and Tim Kilpin, a Mattel senior VP who is shepherding the company's top brands for boys and girls.

Mattel was keen on pairing with Roth, considering the Max Steel character has similarities to the "XXX" franchise he launched while head of Revolution Studios. The Xander Cage character in the first film was an extreme sports athlete turned spy.

Roth has had a relationship with Mattel over the years when it comes to marketing and charities.

Mattel and Roth are seeking a screenwriter and director, who will work closely with the toymaker to develop the film's characters and storyline to match the company's plans for the franchise.

"Max Steel" will be the first pic Mattel has set up at Paramount since it began aggressively looking to turn its toys into features."

- Variety

The show was kind of weak in retrospect and the idea of a movie sounds lame honestly. Paramounts massive push to adapting toy franchises into movies, I think will come back and stab them in the butt. Not all toys have the same general appeal that Transformers had/has.

It might have worked for "Transformers" but if "G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra" will teach Paramount and its investors anything is that this recipe doesn't always work.

 

[gohei_]

If they do this, then I want a Biker Mice from Mars movie.

 

[8wid]

It'll just be another film made simply to sell toys. Nothing better than the quality of Transformers or G.I. Joe with the only thing the audience can take away from it is sexually appealing actors and crappy CGI action.

 

[Dark Victory]

Haha, I remember watching that show as a kid. After the film, I'll know how a lot of childhoods were raped after Transformers and GI Joe.

 

[craigdbfan]

Taylor Lautner Courted for Max Steel

You knew something like this had to happen: with the runaway success of New Moon, shirtless jailbait Taylor Lautner is naturally going to be the object of many a producer’s casting aspirations. The first picture to lock him up could well be Max Steel, an adaptation of the toy line and animated series that Paramount is putting together. Could be worse, right? He could be cast in a project that you care about.
The LA Times reports that, thanks to Lautner’s relatively open schedule — kid hasn’t booked much, possibly because he was almost cast out of New Moon after the first Twilight and no one realized that he’d be such a draw for teen and middle-aged female audiences alike — he’s in the position to pick and choose between available projects. His reps evidently like the idea of throwing him into another potential franchise. (Go figure: the people who take a percentage of his paychecks want to make sure he’s locked up for a series of films.)

The main character of the series is 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.” I hope you read that synopsis in an exaggerated grindhouse movie trailer voice. Makes it sound a lot better.
J.P. Lavin and Chad Damiani are writing, and I’d love to see the notes Paramount hands them now if Lautner really signs on. “Does he have to be wearing a shirt here?” The LAT notes that Lautner is hosting SNL this weekend, and I’m actually curious to see how that goes. He had the most energy in New Moon, in part because he was the only character given anything to do, and I’ll be amused if he can hold his own on the show. Maybe the kid is actually a talent.

 

[Octoberist]

I honestly don't care. If fact, good for Taylor.

 

[craigdbfan]

I expect a G.I Joe type level movie.

Only with more shirtless scenes. Probably a heavily marketed love story on top of the action of the film to sell it to women.

 

[Octoberist]

I'm all for actors with a mixed ethnicities making it big and being the star of the film.

 

[craigdbfan]

He may look sort of mixed but he is mainly just white.

Dutch, French, and German. He claims some Native American lineage from his mother side.

So yeah I guess he is mixed but mainly of different European countries.

 

[Octoberist]

Damn, it's funny how he from a mostly Angelo background, but he looks Mediterranean...ish.

 

[craigdbfan]

So true.

If someone wouldn't tell me I'd think the kid is Spanish, Italian, Portuguese or even some sort of Latino from Argentina, Brazil, Chile etc.

I guess the French in him made him look sort of Mediterranean.

 

[KenK]

Well, Max is pretty much white. If I recall, he's blond when he's normal, but his hair changes when he uses his power.

 

[craigdbfan]

Yup, I think it works like that.

Octoberist was just pointing out that its good seeing a mixed actor in a big role like this. Not that the character wasn't white.

Anyway thats not really an issue seeing as he is white pretty much just with a dark complexion.

 

[Octoberist]

Well, Max Steel is such an odd movie project, but it's better than getting a Hot Wheels movie. At least, there's a storyline of some sort.

 

[Timstuff]

I remember thinking Max Steel was OK when it was on TV, but it does not hold up very well at all. It was very obviously concieved by a marketing team. "Hey, there's this guy who's a secret agent, and he fights bad guys by using his extreme sports skills!"

 

[craigdbfan]

True.

Wasn't that the exact same plot for Action Man? I remember both shows airing around the same time.

Amazing how similar they are.

 

[Project862006]

is'nt the plot similar to XXX

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

What a difference a year makes for that kid, he was nearly fired from Twilight and now he is apperently being offered lots of work....good for him.

 

[Timstuff]

True.

Wasn't that the exact same plot for Action Man? I remember both shows airing around the same time.

Amazing how similar they are.

is'nt the plot similar to XXX

You're both right. Max Steel should be called "XXX: Softcore."

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I remember watching Max Steel and only being in awe of it's CGI at the time. A CGI cartoon was a neat thing to look at back when the show came on. I recall not disliking it but a movie version isn't something I'd get excited about unless the script is haflway decent and a pretty decent director signs up.

The show is really nothing like XXX from what I can remember.

 

[Episode29]

What a difference a year makes for that kid, he was nearly fired from Twilight and now he is apperently being offered lots of work....good for him.

I concur. I have no problem at all with that dude getting some major work.

 

[Dr. Evil]

What a difference a year makes for that kid, he was nearly fired from Twilight and now he is apperently being offered lots of work....good for him.

That is good for him...whether or not he can actually be a good actor, I think that's to be determined.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

That is good for him...whether or not he can actually be a good actor, I think that's to be determined.

True but I don't think Max Steel is going to be the movie to help his acting chops grow.

I love his abs though...

 

[Catman]

That is good for him...whether or not he can actually be a good actor, I think that's to be determined.

Michael Sheen and him were the only good things about New Moon. So, the kid has a future.

 

[spidey-dude]

if they do this, then i want a biker mice from mars movie.

oh hells yeah!