Relativity, Hasbro partner on 'Stretch'

Relativity Media is partnering with Hasbro to bring Stretch Armstrong to the bigscreen. Announcement came Monday from Relativity co-president Tucker Tooley and Hasbro prexy-CEO Brian Goldner. Relativity will be the domestic distributor and will release the film internationally through its network of foreign output partners. "Stretch" will open April 11, 2014. The film will be produced by Relativity topper Ryan Kavanaugh, Hasbro's Goldner and Bennett Schneir, senior VP and managing director. Tooley will exec produce. No cast or director has been attached yet. Hasbro's partnered with Paramount on the "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" pics and with Universal on its high-priced "Battleship," opening in April. "We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Hasbro, a company whose global reach and ability to innovate has made them immensely successful in the arena of brand reimagination -- as evidenced by their legacy of creating such franchises as 'Transformers' and 'G.I. Joe,'" said Tooley in a statement. Stretch Armstrong was launched by Hasbro in 1976 and relaunched in the '90s as a toy that can be stretched repeatedly and always returned to his original size. Hasbro had "Stretch Armstrong" in development at U, with Taylor Lautner announced in 2010 to star in the action-figure adaptation that was to be released in March 2012, but that project never came together. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com