Academy Award winning producer Brian Grazer (A Beautiful
Mind, American Gangster) has come on board to produce the project. Grazer issued the following statement:

“Stretch Armstrong is a character I have wanted to see on screen for a long time. He’s an unconventional kind of super hero with a power that no one would want. It’s a story about a guy stretching – if you will – the limits of what is possible to become all that he can be.”

Saying that the iconic toy Stretch Armstrong “is a character I have wanted to see on screen for a long time,” Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer announced that he’ll be producing, yes, Stretch Armstrong, the movie. The project is slated to be the first production resulting in a six-year partnership deal between Universal Pictures and Hasbro. The film already has a release date of April 15, 2011 in place.

A popular toy that debuted in the 1970’s then was remade and relaunched in the mid 90’s, Stretch Armstrong is notable because he really doesn’t do anything other than, well, stretch. He’s sort of an uncomfortably muscular version of those Martian

Popping Thing stress-relievers, with freakish arms that can be yanked out of proportion without tearing off. It’s the perfect toy for destructive little boys, and for budding sadists-in-training.

The “fun action adventure” flick will be written by Steve Oedekerk, who has some experience with crafting characters for rubber action figures — he wrote Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (which he also directed) and Bruce Almighty for Jim Carrey.

Stabbing in the dark as to what Oedekerk’s script will entail, Grazer said in a press release,

“Stretch Armstrong’s an unconventional kind of super hero with a power that no one would want. It’s a story about a guy stretching – if you will, the limits of what is possible to become all that he can be.”

See, he’s Stretch Armstrong. He stretches. The movie will be about him stretching, and stuff.

Universal cut the deal with Hasbro last year to produce at least four movies based on Hasbro toys and games. One
much-discussed project, as announced here in November, is Monopoly, with Ridley Scott set to produce and direct.

Also in development is Candyland, based on a script from Tropic Thunder scribe Etan Cohen; Clue, with Gore Verbinski to produce and direct; Ouija, with Michael Bay producing; and Battleship, with Peter Berg to direct.