Hey, do you recall of when the universe threatened us with the promise of a STRETCH ARMSTRONG movie? Yeah, that sure was a sweaty fifteen minutes, I agree. However, it appears that not all hope is lost for the super-stretchy hero as Harbro and Netflix have announced that they're teaming up to bring the classic toy to life by way of an animated series to air on the premiere streaming network.
Entitled STRETCH ARMSTRONG AND THE FLEX FIGHTERS, the kid-friendly animated series will follow high school student Jake Armstrong and his two best friends Nathan Park and Ricardo Perez after the bunch are accidentally exposed to an experimental chemical that gives them powers and changes their lives forever.
Recently, Stephen Davis, Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President, Hasbro Inc. proclaimed, “Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters is the first Hasbro brand to receive a Netflix original series order. We have been waiting for just the right moment to re-imagine Stretch for a new audience and our friends at Netflix got it right away; they have been a tremendous partner. We have hit a superhero sweet spot, and with Netflix’s global reach, kids across the world will fall in love with its fun characters and action-packed storyline.”
Lending their vocal stylings to the main cast of the upcoming animation will be Scott Menville of TEEN TITANTS GO! and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES fame as Jake Armstrong/Stretch, Steven Yeun (THE WALKING DEAD) as Nathan Park/Wingspan, and Ogie Banks (ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN) as Ricardo Perez/Omni-Mass. Additionally, STAR TREK startup Wil Wheaton will come aboard the project as Rook, Felicia Day (SUPERNATURAL) will voice the character of Erika, Keith David (ADVENTURE TIME) will appear as Kane, while Kate Mulgrew (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK) will portray Dr. C, and finally, Walter Koenig (STAR TREK) will voice the character of Mr. Savic.
STRETCH ARMSTRONG AND THE FLEX FIGHTERS will premiere in the latter part of 2017 on Netflix with a whopping 26-episodes expected for the debut season. If you're a dinosaur like me, you'll remember that Stretch Armstrong was originally introduced in 1976, and was an over-sized action figure that could stretch from its original size of 15 inches for up to 4 or 5 feet! I personally never owned a Stretch Armstrong, I was much more of a My Pet Monster and Boglin kind of guy.
So, how do you feel about STRETCH ARMSTRONG AND THE FLEX FIGHTERS? Will you be tuning in? I know it's a kids show, but perhaps you're thinking about checking it out for nostalgia's sake? Let us know in the comments section below!
STRETCH ARMSTRONG AND THE FLEX FIGHTERS is on track to premiere on Netflix during the latter end of 2017.