Winchell is signed on to replace Taylor Lautner as the male lead, while Villafane nabs the leading lady role.
- February 7, 2014
AceShowbiz -
"Max Steel" movie has found its lead actors. "A.N.T. Farm" star Ben Winchell is tapped as the title character and "Los Americans" actress Ana Villafane is cast as his love interest in the live-action adaptation of Mattel's popular superhero toy line.
Taylor Lautner was initially attached to play the male lead, but he later dropped out of the project in favor of "Stretch Armstrong", a superhero flick based on a property by Mattel's rival company Hasbro. The pic, however, never took off and was eventually canned.
"Thor: The Dark World" writer Christopher Yost is hired to pen the script, and Stewart Hendler ("Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn", "H+") is booked to sit behind the lens. It centers on teenager Max McGrath and his alien companion Steel, who combine special turbo-energy powers to become the superhero Max Steel.
The film is scheduled to make its way out in 2015. It will be the first installment of a planned movie series and is currently presented to buyers at the European Film Market at the Berlin Film Festival, which runs from February 6-16.
