What could Hollywood’s new It guy Taylor Lautner want for his 18th birthday? How about five studios fighting over a spec script that would throw Lautner front-and-center into an spy-actioner along the lines of Bourne Identity, but with teenagers. That’s exactly what’s happening today as DeadlineHollywood.com first reported this morning. The script, from writer Shawn Christensen is called Abduction and it went out last night to interested parties. Sources tell EW.com that as of now five parties including Dreamworks, Universal, and Sony are battling for the rights. One question that will be answered is whether or not Lautner will command the $7.5 million that is supposedly his going rate right now. Seems with this many people interested in him, the answer is yes. Also interesting to note is if this script has visions of Bourne in its head, could Universal actually use it as the reboot to the Bourne franchise that they’ve been looking for? Hmm… Stranger things have happened. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted with how this all shakes out. A deal is likely to happen today.
Feb 11
2010
02:45 PM ET
Taylor Lautner spec script: All the rage in Hollywood today
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Lautner totally looks like he could be related to bourne in some way…maybe a fourth Bourne with Lautner as Jason’s son….maybe thats just me! (they weirdly kinda look alike)
Taylor is hot. Me gusta.
I love Taylor!
ATTENTION: Does anyone realize that Lautner is about to be legal?
if this happens, I will no doubt NOT watch this. Twilight is without a doubt the worst implementation of vampires (sparkling in the light?!) which destoryed the vampires genre, in order for a teen bond/bourne to work, they have to pick someone who is basically unknown or has a history of action movies. Taylor still has what, 2 or 3 twilights left to make as well. Maybe in 10 years when twilight is dead and no one remembers what crap it was then maybe I’ll change my opinion.
Taking this tween heart throb and putting him in an action movie is only going to appeal to… girls. Boys will not be interested in this. Not to mention it shows that the producers are intent on one thing, cashing in on twilights success.
I think he is ugly. Girls only like him because he’s got a good body with his shirt off, his face is distorted in my opinion.
while new moon is terrible, i dont blame taylor for choosing to be in it. Think of all the amazing actors now who got their starts in really crappy movies. Everyone starts somewhere
Taylor Lautner is NOT Matt Damon. End of story.
No, but he sure can pass off as his kin.
More like Agent Cody Banks: The Teenage Years!
of course this Lautner guy would never be compared to Dammon’s Jason Bourne.
I mean he simply can’t act, he is a good-looking full of steroids, but that’s it.
The Bourne films are not Twilight. (thank GOd)
this only would harm the Bourne franchise as Batman and Robin did to the Batman Franchise.
Of course maybe it could be financially success, but maybe not. what is a fact, is it would be an inslut for all Bourne fans. and for the genre itself.
Taylor Lautner should stick to Twilight or crappy romantic comedies. that’s it.
AND your are a dumbass whos best bet in life is to keep their oppinions to their self and as for acting if he couldnt he wouldnt be getting 7.5 million for his movies….. duh jealous much?
Kim, it’s evident from your comment that you are a moron. I’m not even going to point out what’s wrong with your comment. Figure it out for yourself. Although I doubt you will be able to. How old are you? 15?
He’s asking for that money based solely on what Twilight has made. And arguably Twilight’s success had very little to do with HIM specifically and it would’ve been successful no matter who had the role. That’s why it’s dumb for studios to pay him that amount of money when he hasn’t shown he can draw crowds on his own to a non-Twilight movie.
But very mature calling someone else a dumbass. Your mentality is why Twilight fans have such a bad reputation.
okay one thing that its so obivous is that u are a hater!!!!…why are u bagging on taylor?he dosent do steroids would you just stop being a hater becuase people dont like haterz..taylor is a GREAT actor..oh and stop bagging on twlight..MY GOD u are a hater on HOT guys..LOSER!!!!!
Um, I like haters. Sorry–”haterz.” By the way, since English isn’t your first language, would you mind telling me where you’re from? That would be great, thanks.
Victor, that’s too bad that you can’t appreciate his acting skills. I’m sure you know everyone has an opinion, and I’m not a child, I’m a 45 year old woman, and I think he’s pretty good. He’s a helluva lot better than someone like Tom Cruise was when he was young. Also, he’s really not ‘roided out. If you look at him, his muscles are too small to be from ‘roids. He worked for that and had good genes. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game!
Never seen Twilight, never want to but i’ll give this kid a chance cuz he’s a kid. Actors don’t become talented overnight.
Give the kid a break – he’s just 18! He got a good break with the Twilight franchise and if has staying power he’ll grow into a great actor. Need I remind you that Tom Cruise wasn’t exactly the most brilliant actor at his age, but now can pull off a film like no one else? I say give Taylor time to develop his craft!
As amateur an actor as Tom Cruise was early on, Taylor Lautner’s comparative acting ability makes young Tom look like Peter freakin’ O’Toole.
Well said!!!
Well wonderful, you have an opinion. Unless you just so happen to be some type of an acting instructor with credentials to support that opinion, and frankly even if you do, it is no better or no worse then anyone else here. I think he compares favorably to a young Tom Cruise. But then I have enjoyed each movie he has been in so far. To each their own. My advice, go find a movie and an actor you do appreciate as opposed to trolling a topic that was clearly one you should have been utterly uninterested in.
This kid better be counting his lucky stars. The only thing he’s got going for him are his muscles; zero talent and fug in the face.
haha and ur funny too.. see the kid as you say never had musclws in the first movie…. hmmm what was going for him then???
i agree with kim on this one…damn wats wrong with BEING HOT?!?!?
He’s definitely–how did Aaron put it?–fug in the face. And since I’m gay, I have far more authority than you on this subject. Which means my opinion wins.
Not the only one that is gay, so my opinion cancels your opinion. Taylor is scorching hot, face and all. The complete package.
James..you’re an idiot. Because you’re gay, you’re a bigger authority on hot guys? Whereas a heterosexual girl knows nothing about what makes a man attractive? Yeah..ok..that makes sense. OR MAYBE some people (gay or straight) like beautiful bronze skin and an amazing body, and some prefer guys who wax their eyebrows until they slowly disappear. to each his own, wouldn’t you say?
he has talent. he’s a great martial artist. talent doesn’t always mean singing and acting. he was meant to do action films.
MissVampireDiaries, I agree he does have talent as a martial artist. But you’re basically implying that action films do not need good actors. And while many action films can do well without good acting, they are certainly always better if the acting is good. And none of this is meant to be disparaging towards Taylor Lautner. I’ve never seen any of his movies, so I can’t comment on his acting ability. But I’m just saying that action films still benefit from good acting.
Ugh. He can’t act. He has no talent. Many action stars have other talent in fighting or martial arts, that’s why they’re action stars. But they still have to know how to ACT! All the great ones had some level of acting talent, this kid has NONE.
well..let’s just pray that he doesn’t become the next jean claude :/
honestly i havent seen lautner in anything but the twilight movies( i know he’s done other movies and tv) and so far i havent seen any good acting( however that could have something to do with the fact that the scripts sucked) anyway i hope for his sake(and for the saliry he no demands) that he can act. there is no question that he is a crowd pleaser, he’s good with the press, but so far the only reason he’s amour is cuz he put on 30 pounds for the second movie.
Taylor is not a great actor. He is nearer to Sylvester Stallone or Schwarzenneger than to Bruce Willis or Matt Damon. He better look for his own “Rocky” or “Terminator” franchise.
Are you expected to be a “great” actor at 18 when your resume counts only four movies?
It almost sounds like you’re implying there are no great actors or actresses under 18.
Haley Joel Osment, Anna Paquin, Max Records, Saoirse Ronan, Ellen Page, Dakota Fanning, Daniel Radcliffe (in Equus).
All of whom showed flashes of being “great” actors before they turned 18.
On the flip side, are you expected to be worth $7.5M a pop when you’re only 18 and your resume counts only four movies? Two of which are Twilight, one of which is Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and one of which is Sharkboy and Lava Girl. And it’s actually five now if you count his five minutes on-screen in Valentine’s Day.
Thank you so much for pointing out those other fine young actors. Clearly someone above didn’t think through their comment before posting.
“Are you expected to be a “great” actor at 18 when your resume counts only four movies?”
No, but then you shouldn’t expect to headline an action movie. And you should at least show promise that sets you apart from other aspiring young actor, which Lautner most certainly does not (in fact, he’s below average). The girls here are so unbelievably hypocritical. We all know they’d be pulling their hair out in a fit of jealous rage if Megan Fox got to star (not co-star but STAR) in her own action movie a few months after Transformers was released, and these comments would be filled with “the hag slut can’t act!1!1!!” vitriol (even though Megan Fox has been more covered up in her movies than Taylor Lautner was in his). And by the way, even though no one can convincingly argue that Lautner is a better actor than Fox, it’s telling that right off the bat he gets to star in an action movie while Fox has never been offered to headline anything. They’re both sucky actors, but why is he given a free pass?
Gabby, this is spot on. These girls are so hypocritical. Go to the next page of this comments section. Some girl defends Taylor and complains about all the “haters,” but then she starts bashing Miley Cyrus.
These studios better be very careful with this kid. That’s a lot of money to spend on a guy who has yet to carry a movie on his own. Just happening to play the fifth or sixth most-popular character in Twilight does not a bankable star make. And the same girls drooling over his body are the ones who’ll drop him like a rock as soon as the Next Big Thing arrives. The film in question also seems to skew more toward a male demographic, something I’m not convinced he can appeal to.
I think I’d play the waiting game, see just how bankable he REALLY is (I’m guessing not as much as his “going rate” would suggest) and then go from there. It almost sounds like he (or his people) know that his time in the spotlight is limited and they’re rushing to cash in as much as possible, as fast as possible.
haha he most deffinately isnt the fifth or sixth most character in twilight obviously u dont know very much about him to be saying this… hmm
Oh, I’m sorry, I must have been hallucinating, thinking I was reading all these anti-Lautner and anti-Jacob comments on here. You know, calling him “Failcob” and “pedo wolf” and telling EW to stop forcing him on fans.
Katie you bring up excellent points. It would be a big risk to bank on this kid when he hasn’t been proven. On the other hand, sometimes HUGE stars tank at the box office. Anyone else remember Waterworld? Or Ishtar??
All right, Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey, George Clooney, David Geffen. Have at him. Taylor is no longer jail bait.
There is a lot of hatterade going on here. He is not the best actor, no, but he is smoking hot. And if you watched his intro to Saturday Night Live last year, you know that the kid has got some mad martial arts skills. People want to see “Valentine’s Day” because Taylor Lautner is in it for like ten minutes. He can carry a film.
I don’t see hatred. I see a healthy skepticism that this kid is worth the amount of money that he’s asking for (or his agent is asking for), and I see disdain over studios that would fall all over themselves to sign an actor who hasn’t proved that he can carry a hit on his own.
And you’re totally right. No one wants to see Valentine’s Day for Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Queen Latifah, Ashton Kutcher or any of the other dozen or so actors who are billed above Lautner (who isn’t even mentioned by name in the promo material) and HAVE proved that they can carry their own films.
Can’t carry a film? He was billed as the star of New Moon. That had a $120 million opening weekend. But I’m sure you have some excuse for that too.
Um, they could have cast a golden retriever as Jacob Black and New Moon still would’ve made a killing. And everyone knows that Robert Pattinson is the main draw of Twilight, not Lautner.
I think what people are asking is if he can carry a film ON HIS OWN (i.e. not with Pattinson or Stewart) that’s not a friggin’ Twilight film.
Until he can prove that he can, I’d be leery about paying him so much money.
Sadly, Taylor Lautner is a major draw right now, and sadly people don’t want to see Jessica Biel and Queen Latifah. Are you kissing me? He’s in the promo materials and the commercials, and he’s hardly in the movie!
If you read EVERY article written about “Valentines Day”, it leads off with Taylor Lautner starring in it. Yes he is in it for only like 5 min. but the powers that be are selling it off his face. It’s been tracking amongst the 13-19yr old female group because of him. Otherwise Gary Marshall would have picked someone else. Even as an unknown in a crappy movie, “Sharkboy” made $39K. A lot of famous people in movies have made less than that. Kristen Stewart’s movies have yet to make even half that amount. Her film “Welcome to the Rileys” still can’t even get a distributor. She is a good actress but doesn’t make movies that most people want to see. Rob Pattinson is the only one that can make more money at the box office. Each of the three stars have goods and bads. It’s not fair to trash Taylor just because you don’t like him. No one is begging you to see his movies. Chances are you are WAY, WAY, over the age group that his movies are targeting.
If teenage girls are stupid enough to pay $10 just to see Taylor Lautner for five minutes, then they deserve having to sit through the other 90 minutes that don’t have him in it.
I think it speaks volumes about how savvy studios are when it comes to teenage girls’ gullibility when they’re willing to plaster his face on promos but not willing to give him actual above-the-title credit that they’re giving to like every other actor in the film.
Olivia, be sensible. They could have cast anyone with a nice body in that role and girls would have gone gaga over it. The Twilight films would be successful with or without him.
Candace, so you think no one is going to see Valentine’s Day for the likes of Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Patrick Dempsey, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Eric Dane, or Bradley Cooper? Of course, some people will be going for Taylor, but come on. Don’t be so delusional. There is a lot of star power in this movie. It would be a big hit with or without Taylor Lautner.
more movies from this boring untalented actor, i will laugh when all his movies flop outside twilight, but i’m sure his bank account won’t be, which makes me mad arrrgh
(its his freaking 18th birthday can u just leave him alone atleast for his birthday today it should be a special day for him) hes trying to enjoy life. some think hes not a good actor some do either way he might be more succesful than you think.(hope he doesnt go for a singing career)WE ALL DONT KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE MIGHT BRING. HES JUST 18 ITS NOT LIKE HES OLDer LIKE 30 THAN HE IS CAREER IS GOING DOWN THE DRAIN.jk give him a chance he might be special….happy birthday taylor lautner…
Yeah, because 30 is ANCIENT.
I don’t see anyone saying he shouldn’t be given a chance. What people appear to be saying is that until he can open a film on his own name (not Twilight’s) and have it be a financial success, $7.5 million is probably an unreasonable fee. I think studios would be smarter to see how he does on his own, and THEN pay his asking price if he proves that he’s a draw on his own when he’s not playing opposite Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in Twilight or about three dozen better-known actors in Valentine’s Day. I don’t see what’s so unreasonable about that.
thank u for this some people just believe that they are so superior to people he is only 18 and i thought he might have been the best character in new moon maybe not so much twilight as new moon but he is growing and learning and obviously his fans are too.
Saying he might have been the best character in New Moon isn’t saying much. That’s like saying someone’s a nice guy compared to Hitler.
Ok, the whole “happy birthday taylor” and “leave him alone!” thing is a little creepy.
um, a bit uncalled for, don’t you think? no need to be telling people to commit suicide. plus, the reasoning behind your request makes no sense. let’s think it through, people. think it through.
he could pull probably pull it off as jason bourne son now that would be a interesting movie to watch specially if matt damon and taylor are both in the film .
Thanks for the article. The kid has a lot of natural athletic talent and he is a former world champion martial artists with a black belt. Lots of fan boys pay good money to watch so-so actors who have great martial-arts skills. Yet, they want to hate Taylor just because he is connected to the Twilight movies. Movies which they have NEVER seen but just love to hate. I’m not saying the movies are all that great but there are worse movies out there. This blind hate for all things Twilight is really silly. Since Taylor wasn’t playing himself in “Sharkboy”, “Twilight”, “New Moon”, “Cheaper by the dozen 2″, or “My own worse enemy” I’m sure he has SOME acting skills. To say he simply sucks is to engage in ‘Twilight derangement Syndrome’.
You are totally right. Thanks for a nice, unbiased view. Personally, I find this kid watchable for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing him in something non-Twilight.
thank you for agreeing some people jus dnt understand…….GIVE HIM A CHANCE