Stretch Armstrong is tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2014, so it will follow this year's pair of Hasbro properties, Battleship and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, co-produced by Universal and Paramount Pictures, respectively. There's no word yet on what form the story will take, since Stretch Armstrong doesn't have the built-in elaborate backstory of, say, Transformers.
Stay tuned, though, and we'll bring you the news as the project develops under the stewardship of Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh and Tucker Tooley and Hasbro's Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir.
Here's the official press release from Relativity:
(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 30, 2012 - Relativity Media has partnered with global branded play company
Hasbro, Inc. to develop and produce a live-action tent-pole film based
on Stretch Armstrong, the iconic action hero figure launched in the
1970s, it was announced today by Relativity’s Co-President, Tucker
Tooley and Hasbro’s President and CEO, Brian Goldner.
Relativity will be the domestic distributor and will release the film
internationally through its network of foreign output partners. The film
is targeted for an April 11, 2014 release date.
The film will be produced by Relativity’s CEO, Ryan Kavanaugh (The
Fighter), Hasbro’s Goldner (Transformers) and Bennett Schneir, Senior
Vice President and Managing Director, Motion Pictures (Battleship).
Tooley (Immortals) will serve as executive producer.
Hasbro has become an entertainment powerhouse by creating hit movies and
television shows from its rich portfolio of world class brands. Since
2007, Hasbro's Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises have grossed nearly
$3 billion at the worldwide box office. 2012 is shaping up to be another
stellar year for Hasbro with its partners Universal Pictures releasing
Battleship in April and Paramount Pictures releasing G.I. Joe:
Retaliation in June. In television, Hasbro Studios produces shows like
Transformers Prime and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that can be
seen on the HUB television network in the U.S. and in more than 140
countries globally.
“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Hasbro, a company whose
global reach and ability to innovate has made them immensely successful
in the arena of brand re-imagination-- as evidenced by their legacy of
creating such franchises as Transformers and G.I. Joe,” said Tooley, “We
look forward to bringing Stretch Armstrong to audiences worldwide.”
“Stretch Armstrong is a great example of Hasbro’s rich portfolio of
intellectual properties that we are continuing to develop globally,”
said Goldner, “We are excited to partner with Relativity on this movie
as they are a growing and innovative studio.”
Stretch Armstrong is the classic action hero figure first launched by
Hasbro in 1976 and re-launched in the 90’s, sold successfully throughout
North America and in markets across the world. The original Stretch's
unique design broke free of traditional action figures, as he could be
stretched over and over and always returned back to his original size.
The nostalgic toy is considered to be rare and collectible to this day.
Relativity recently released Oscar®-winner Steven Soderbergh’s dynamic
action-thriller Haywire in theatres. Looking ahead, Relativity will
release the the heart-pounding Navy SEAL action-thriller Act of Valor
(in theatres February 24, 2012) and magical adventure comedy Mirror
Mirror (in theatres March 16, 2012), starring Oscar®-winner Julia
Roberts, Lily Collins, Nathan Lane, and Armie Hammer. The studio just
wrapped production on the comedy 21 and Over and is currently in
pre-production on Nicholas Sparks’ gripping love story Safe Haven and
the international espionage thriller Hunter Killer.
