Mattel is on a roll this summer, with two blockbusters based on their action figures (the mega-hit Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the upcoming G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), and they're looking to keep their success going. Variety reports that the popular toymaker has teamed with Paramount Pictures and XXX producer Joe Roth to adapt Max Steel for the big screen. Considering the toy's back-story, basically an extreme sports enthusiast employed by a secret agency, the choice of Roth was obvious.
The action figure was first introduced in 1999 to modest domestic success but really caught on in Latin America, where Max Steel is the top-selling action figure, and is a market that Mattel is expressly looking to appease. Mattel VP Barry Waldo commented on this, saying:
A theatrical film plays a significant role to relaunch the franchise. 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.
Max Steel may seem like a tough sell for a movie, but it still has to be far easier than the adaptation of Mattel's View-Master that DreamWorks is considering.