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UPDATED with more information: 
I’ve just learned that Taylor Lautner is now being paid per ab. That’s right, the 17-year-old co-star of the Twilight Saga franchise who’s famous for his buff physique that is making girls scream when he takes off his shirt in New Moon, is getting $7.5 million for his next pic. It’s called Northern Lights, to be directed by John Moore (Max Payne) with a start date of April 1st. The logline says the pic is ”set against the backdrop of extreme flying and follows four young pilots as they compete against the world’s best”. It’s being made by David Ellison’s new company Skydance Productions, and Paramount has a first look at his development. That shitload of money negotiated by WME now makes Taylor Lautner into the highest paid Hollywood teenage actor around. (I’m told that neither Zac Efron nor Miley Cyrus have ever gotten a salary even close to that for their films. Amazing!) So the question is whether Paramount, which is in the Taylor Lautner business in a big way with the recently announced Max Steel, will pony up an even huger salary for the teen who’ll be starring as the title lead in their own upcoming blockbuster. (See my previous, EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Lautner To Be Paramount’s Next Big Action Star)
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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wow does even Shia get that kind of money, someone with a few movies under his belt?
Not sure why all of you are so hateful toward this guy. Why are you people complaining? Have you actually ever heard this kid give an interview? He’s articulate, smart, and polite. Very sophisticated 17-year-old, but he’s just a KID. Hopefully he is able to continue to make good choices. Maybe it’s not fair that he’s getting so much money, but it is what it is. Chill out, people. You’re all so bitter. Leave the kid alone! He IS awfully nice to look at….
So if a person can give a good interview that means they are good actors?? Not sure if you know this, but there is the actual world and then the world in movies. This kid may be nice and charming, but he can’t act worth a darn!
Welcome to a world outside of fawning Twilight fansites. I don’t care if he’s a nice kid or if some pedos think he’s hot. In a business sense, this is a poor decision to pay that much to someone who is untested both in talent and audience interest, especially when you have a headliner like Tom Cruise (even if TC has his own set of problems right now).
And I don’t think TL is making good choices. He seems only interested in action flicks (outside Valentine’s Day which still features his athleticism apparently) and that isn’t a good way to build a career unless he just wants to be the next Jason Statham.
“He’s just a kid…He IS awfully nice to look at”
That sounds creepy.
Since when did ‘good interviewing skills’ translate into ‘great actor’?
I couldn’t agree more. I have seen him in several interviews and he is very impressive. Additionally, he seems very grounded and seems to have a good family looking after him. If only he can stay that way.
creepy, yes, but so true. Hell, here in the UK, he’s legal. That’s all im saying…
Stars shouldn’t get paid for being “polite.” They should be paid for having talent, idiot.
That logline is completely uninspiring.
Zac Efron has an amazing body and is a triple threat – where is his money?
But seriously, this is why all films cost like 100 million these days, completely stupid deal for the film company to make, kudos to his agents for pulling the wool over their eyes.
Just being 17 with such amazing shape is incredible. Keep fueling for the best is on its way…..Cheer’s!
You’re just a bunch of envious losers who don’t like the thought of
someone earning more money than you. If Taylor couldn’t act, as you are claiming, then why is he being paid more money than you will ever
see in your lifetime?
The proof is in the pudding, as they say!
If you can do a better job, then step up to the plate and put
you’re money where your mouth is?
A firelog can do a better job than Lautner. He is that bad.
Haaay, It’s not just girls screaming when this guy takes
off his shirt…
This is just like watching one of those ghastly teenage American sitcoms…”OMG he’s so hot”..”yeah like oohh, he’s so gross”…etc etc etc. You guys need to get out more and stop wasting your lives bitching over some boy’s body ! Get a life, people !
I personally think Taylor is very attractive and a good actor & for those who think otherwise is only because you wished you can have his life and looks so why don’t you get a life! He is a very nice guy and epically for a 17 year old. And all of you wish you could make that much money & so do I. So don’t be so hateful about it and just congratulate.
i agree hes a very attractive young male and appeals to male and females alike but im really hooked on dr cullen (peter) he is such a very nice gentleman and hes doing so much good for the children of the world that are sickly so stop hating taylor for his looks and just enjoy life or what you have left of it
Geez, Top Gun much ?
And Debra and company don’t be ridiculous ! He is an actor, not a model, he doesn’t deserve ANYTHING solely because of his looks.
When a young man that age shows that much drive, its very refreshing to see. Taylor, I think your a very good actor, I have seen some extremely frustrated and outraged boys your age and you were very good in the movie. You almost looked like you were’nt acting, you looked genuinely mad. I hope you were acting. ha,ha. Good for you Taylor, don’t pay attention to people that are negative towards you, you keep doing what you do. We’ll all be watching, even the haters.
uh…how about any latino actors with talent? like a benecio del toro type or something. too many all-american types and too republican looking for my taste. plus no talent to boot.
Who says steroids doesn’t pay?
This is what the people want to see, teens especially, nothing but a nice face and striking body.
Is a money machine.
About acting? Not necessary, not important or necessary.
Perfect actor for brainless public.
This boy is so so luky.he worked hard so he succeded
okyyyyyyyyyy
Okay, so it’s socially acceptable for women to ogle a 17-year-old boy’s sculpted abs, but a guy gets chastised for being a creepy pedo if he acknowledges that Miley Cyrus is an attractive girl. Um, double standard?
Great, another dysfunctional endorsement for juicing up on steroids to acheive a Ken doll look that this dude and many other male Hollywood stars could never get on their own.
The fact that high school kids see this clearly and the media elite thinks it’s all diet and excercise.
Ha! Next time you look at Taylor, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Ben Stiller, Gerard, and many others with that great physique, you better believe they got it by putting a needle in their ass. And without that needle, while they would still be fit, they wouldn’t look like they do onscreen. No way Taylor got that look just from working out over the summer (not to take away from his Athletic ability. Anyone who has seen him do martial arts, know he is a top tier athelete)
Hollywood probably employs as much, if not more, steroids as the NFL and MLB.
But I guess it doesn’t seem that dysfunctional when most of this industry is using cocaine as slim-fast.
I say good for Taylor. If you’re going to succumb to Hollywood pressure to mess with your health to get a “look” for a film, better to get paid big so you have those impending health care costs covered.
Thx5334, if you knew anything about working out you would know that you don’t need steroids to get abs nowadays. All you need is a great trainer and a great diet and lots of dedication. Don’t be jealous. Oh and by the way they do hair follicle tests in the NFL now, you can’t hide steroid use in the NFL anymore.
Congrats to him!
Personally I hate the TWILIGHT franchise, but he’s got a better professional reputation than most teenage brats and he has a SICK martial arts background that guarantees him as the next great action star. What producer is going to bother training a Zac Efron type when they can just hire a karate champion?
Like him or not, you’re marrying yourself to a bitter future if you’re determined to get mad every time he gets hired. He may not be around forever, but he’s going to be around for long while.
I must agree with you. he is a karate champion and just because he is being used for the twilight franchise doesnt mean he is some teen who got lucky because of his abs.
What exactly did this kid work hard on, except his abs?
Umm, The Impact, How To Be wasn’t released in theaters. How do you know it was a bomb? It was released on IFC Direct, and on DVD recently. Little Ashes opened to 12 theaters. Not exactly a wide release. lol Give Pattinson a break. He made those before Twilight.
Congradulations! I often said when I first saw Taylor’s interviews and his Martial Arts performances that he could be the next action star. I’m not about to say he’s the greatest actor on the planet but I wouldn’t neccesarily call the very successful Tom Cruise that either. Tom got by on his looks, carisma, determination, and work ethic. Taylor too has all these qualities. I still can’t get over the similarities between the two.
New Moon is doing for Taylor what Risky Bussiness did for Tom. I find it ironic that Tom Cruise really took off after Top Gun and now he is producing a movie about fighter jets with Taylor that might just give him longevity in Hollywood. Or he might crash and burn. lol
New Moon made Taylor a global star. And if he is getting this kind of money then he deserves it. It couldn’t happen to a nicer person. Some people were born to be entertainers wether it be martial arts or acting I’m glad it paid off for him. It has been fun watching him develope over the years and this makes me proud to be a Taylor fan.
Go watch Magnolia and Risky Business. Tom’s been nominated. this taylor kid will NEVER come close to being half the actor Tom is and will never be nominated for anything other than a Nickolodeon kid’s choice award. And Congratulations is spelled with a ‘T’, not a ‘D’.
I think it’s kind of ironic that the same girls who will readily spew hatred on actresses like Jessica Alba and Megan Fox – who basically get paid to look hot and be scantily-clad – have no problem saying that Taylor deserves the $ because “he’s hot.”
I mean, just be consistent already.
And as for the guys hating on Taylor…you really shouldn’t. It just makes you look as insecure as the overweight girls who bag on Alba and Fox.
The people “hating” on taylor aren’t doing it because he’s good looking. They’re doing it because he’s a horrible actor, hasn’t proven himself to lead ANYTHING and yet they’re giving him 7.5mil.
I know what you mean. I’m a guy but I have valid reasons for disgust with his payday because of his lack of talent…not looks. Hell, I prefer those with talent *and* looks like Rachel McAdams or Anne Hathaway instead of bimbos like Kardashian,Alba,and Fox.
I agree Kevin and Alex. Too right you are.
Anonymous, some men and women who hate on these celebs are good looking too.
Just because we hate on them it’s not because we are insecure or that they look good.
Sometimes it really is because they get paid ridiculous amounts of money for nothing.
You see what a gym membership can do for you?! Get off of your couches America!
WRONG…last time i checked, kristen stewart is still a teenager (19yo) and she made over 10M on the 3rd twilight movie.
TOLDJA!!
God this website has been taken over by tweens.
not really im not a tween at all im 48 years old and i like the movies if ppl dont like them they dont have to go see them and ppl get over it taylor is a young teen boy with a descent body but im sure in a few years or less there will be someone new with a better body and cuter face so get over it its like the beatles vs monkees.
*People* (You can read, right?) like you who are 48 and can’t spell a simple word are not entitled to diss those who rightfully say that Lautner can’t act. Congrats on your epic fail.
From what I gather from reading this article is all this is another variation of Taylor Lautner playing a younger version of Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” again which at the time was Tom Cruise’s breakout movie role and people started to take notice. But the thing is that I saw “Top Gun” tolerating his foolish grin at the time which is why I don’t need to see this movie- this movie only applies to the new generation of young teenage girls who Lautner has struck cords with when he was starring in “New Moon”. And I think that the plot is 100 % unrealistic to have a storyline involving an already gifted 17 year old aerobatics pilot springing from a wealthy family getting hooked up with the most desired female pilot who also happens to be gifted as well is like Hollywood in real life in itself. And at the same time as I was reading this, it reminded me of something that the uproar Prince Williams had caused in real life with the helicopter wasting England’s people of tax-payers money to impress his girlfriend Kate Middleton, with the Queen making bullsh-t excuses on why he did it. What is even more stupid is that I cannot even relate to the Lautner’s character in real life since the plot says that he’s going to be from a wealthy family – what kind of life lessons can this movie were to offer. A 17 year old who’s already “gifted” from a wealthy family who happens to have a great knack for flying planes to me seems self indulgent, you would think this movie takes place during WWII or something. If I had any kids thinking about watching this film, I would persuade them from watching this by getting them to watch “Top Gun” first. And if they still want to watch this recycled rehash they would call a plot, the only thing I can say is that I did my best.
I hope this is a good investment for Tom Cruise and his company because this is another person whose not going to be suckered in to watch this turd they would call a story.