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| Armstrong (2011) by Collin Grant. |
Update: Animatics artist Rothwell confirmed these are animated from the Imagine/Universal/Hasbro version of Armstrong that Rob Letterman was going to direct.
If you're not familiar with it, "Stretch Armstrong" was a large stretchy action figure introduced in 1976 by Kenner. I had one and it was hours of fun. A few years ago Hasbro was planning a live-action film based on the kid's toy. Most people (including myself) figured it was a pretty dumb idea. But storyboards by Collin Grant, animated by James Rothwell, make it look pretty amazing.
Collin Grant is a professional storyboard artist who's worked on films like The Matrix (1999), X2 (2003) and I Am Legend (2007). James Rothwell is an entertainment artist who's worked on films like Iron Man (2008), Thor (2011), Spider-Man 2 (2004).
Check out the rest of the video after the jump and see Armstrong shrug off bullets and run super-fast.
Universal bought the rights to Stretch Armstrong in 2008 and had big plans for it. Producer Brian Grazer said "Stretch Armstrong is a character I have wanted to see on screen for a long time ... It’s a story about a guy stretching ... the limits of what is possible to become all that he can be." Calling the film Armstrong, they cast Twilight actor Taylor Lautner as Lucas "Stretch" Armstrong and set a release date of April 2011. It was supposed to be a big action film in 3D.
Then, the bottom fell out. Lautner's film Abduction (2011) bombed and Hasbro's other big game-to-film movie Battleship (2012) tanked in theaters. The rights were picked up by Relativity Media for a 2014 release but that project fell through as well. What I find amazing about the storyboards is it wasn't just Armstrong with powers, but a whole group of superpowered people.
We'll never know if the movie would have been any good, but these storyboards look awesome. On a sidenote, James Rothwell's animatics are the most amazing I've ever seen including sound effects, music and special effects.
See more of James Rothwell's work at http://jimrothwell.blogspot.com/ and Collin Grant's work at (the currently expired domain) http://www.uke5.com.
Click the links to see more of James Rothwell's animatics, Collin Grant's storyboards and the Armstrong movie on my blog.
What do you think of the storyboards? Could Armstrong have been good?
Official Armstrong Info
Stretch Armstrong is based on the iconic action figure made popular around the world beginning in the 1970s and re-launched in the 1990s. Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, 8 Mile, American Gangster) will team with Hasbro to bring Stretch Armstrong to life. Steve Oedekerk (Bruce Almighty) has written the screenplay, and Hasbro’s Goldner and Schneir also produce.
Directed by Rob Letterman
Starring Taylor Lautner
Planned Release Date: May 25, 20112
© Copyright 2011 Hasbro, Universal. All rights reserved
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I can't remember if I had a Stretch or not. I might have had a knockoff. Maybe not, though - seems like the sort of toy my dog would have happily destroyed.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun, but I'll never forget mine got a hole in it and the gel inside leaked over all our toys. It was a huge mess but I found it fascinating. Dogs would have loved it AS.
ReplyDelete