According to Variety, Paramount Pictures is teaming with Joe Roth to bring the Mattel action figure Max Steel to theaters.
The toy property revolves around Josh McGrath, 19-year-old extreme sports junkie recruited by a secret agency after an accident infects his body with nanobots, making him superhuman.
Mattel introduced the character in the U.S. in 1999 as an action figure, and soon after in an animated series that ran from 2000-2002. Max Steel is Latin America's No. 1 action figure.
“A theatrical film plays a significant role to relaunch the franchise,” said Barry Waldo (via Variety), Mattel's VP of worldwide entertainment marketing. “But we have a strong Latin consumer we're going to keep happy while broadening the franchise for the rest of the world. We wouldn't do ourselves a favor if we turned a blind eye to it. That's the artistic challenge we've got.”
Currently, Mattel and Roth are seeking a screenwriter and director, the plan is for them to work closely with Mattel to create characters and a storyline that match what the company hopes to do with the property.
Max Steel TV spot:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XHVBIUcJlA[/youtube]
