Worst Idea Ever: Steve Oedekerk to Write Stretch Armstrong Movie

Universal Pictures has made a series of deals with Hasbro to adapt board games and toys into big screen movies. Last year the studio signed Ridley Scott to develop a movie based on Monopoly, and just last week they announced that Platinum Dunes was developing a movie based around the Ouija board and Etan Cohen was writing a screenplay for Candyland with Enchanted director Kevin Lima to direct. Variety reports that the studio has signed Steve Oedekerk to write a big screen adaptation of Stretch Armstrong.

Kenner released the toy in 1976, a 13-inch blond-haired muscled action figure whose limbs could be stretched to nearly four feet. The plan is to start over and develop a superhero comedy out of the property, which to me doesn’t seem much different in concept from Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four or Elastigirl from The Incredibles. Disney even tried and failed to make a film based on the property in the late 90’s with Danny DeVito and later Jackie Chan attached.

I’m not saying that a Stretch Armstrong movie couldn’t be good (logical thinking would lead you in that direction) but Oedekerk is a pretty mediocre writer, at best. His filmography is filled with some bad to horrible films, including: The Nutty Professor, Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, Bruce Almighty and the sequel Evan Almighty.