With the recent cancellation of a 'Stretch Armstrong' movie, it seemed that the trend of films based on toys (or board games) would end -- with the Michael Bay-helmed 'Transformers' films the exception to the rule. But that's not the case as Legendary Pictures is moving forward with a 'Hot Wheels' film, and it's to be directed by Simon Crane.

This comes from The Hollywood Reporter and if you don't know Crane, that's because he's spent the last few years doing second unit work on such films as 'World War Z,' 'Salt' and 'Quantum of Solace.' He came up in the business doing stunts with his first profession work being on the James Bond film 'A View to a Kill' in 1985. The 'Hot Wheels' film has been passed around like a hot potato, as both Warner Brothers and Sony were interested in making it at one point, with McG previously attached to direct. Currently the film is being rewritten by Paul Attanasio, and is about "a washed-up Illinois State Trooper who, after a dangerous military device falls into the hands of a criminal, fights the man his father once put behind bars."

The hiring of Crane means that they see this in the mold of the 'Fast and Furious' films and will surely feature a lot of practical car stunts, which makes the tie-in to the toy line superfluous as it doesn't sound like something geared at ages five and up. But that's the nature of these beasts. That said, hiring a second unit director often means that they're looking for someone who won't imprint too much personality on the material.

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