From the moment he first exposed his abs to the masses in New Moon, Lautner sealed his fate as a token action star of his generation. With an agreeable personality, a winning smile and muscles to spare, he’s got all the tools needed to carry a big-budget blockbuster or a franchise of his own. And if you’ve been following his activity in Tinsel Town like I have, you know that’s just what he intends to do.
Where he’s headed: Summer movie madness. Lautner’s biceps seem to have a magnetic quality, one that attracts the kind of script that calls for lots of CGI, stunts and special effects. He’s taken his star power and physical prowess to the bank since 2009, signing on for a series of action flicks that haven’t yet gotten a green light including Universal’s Hasbro adaptation Stretch Armstrong, Fox’s young-adult fantasy film Incarceron and an untitled actioner to be produced by Michael Bay. The only movie he’s actually released outside of The Twilight Saga was Lionsgate’s fall offering Abduction, which fizzled out at around $28 million.
What he should do: Comedy, because the above statement is only half true: Lautner had a small role in Garry Marshall’s sleeper hit Valentine’s Day early in 2010, and I think that he should expand on that minor appearance and take up the lucrative business of rom-coms. He’s already got a rabid fan-base of young females (the most reliable consumers of the genre) and the good looks to share the screen with some of Hollywood’s leading ladies. While he waits for a start date on one of those expensive tent poles, he might as well squeeze in a harmless chick flick to mix things up a bit.
