MAX STEEL Casting Details Announced
The live-action Max Steel, produced by Dolphin Films and Mattel, has announced two lead roles have been cast — Max McGrath and Sydney Gardner.
Ben Winchell (A.N.T. Farm) will take on the titular role. McGrath is a teenager who gets paired up with an alien companion named Steel (probably not played by Shaquille O’Neal) and the two form a combined super hero entity known as Max Steel, in a story being touted by producers as an origin with an eye toward launching a film franchise.
Ana Villafañe will take on the Gardner role, Max’s crush who may or may not find out his secret identity in the film (she did in the animated, only to lose her memory).
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce audiences worldwide to Ben Winchell and Ana Villafañe,” said Bill O’Dowd, CEO Dolphin Entertainment. “The Max Steel franchise fan base is extremely passionate about the lead characters of Max and Sydney, and we knew we needed to get the casting just right. Ben and Ana are extremely talented young actors, and we’re confident fans will fall in love with each of them the minute they hit the big screen.”
The film was originally set to star Twilight hunk Taylor Lautner when Paramount had the story rights back in 2009, but that project fell apart and the property went into limbo until Dolphin picked it up. Based on the animated series (which is a reboot of the original cartoon from 2001), the film will be written by Thor: The Dark World scribe Christopher Yost and directed by Stewart Hendler (Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, H+). US distribution will be through Open Road Films, with overseas markets handled by IM Global.
