‘Max Steel’ Film Updates: New Official U.S. Trailer; Director Explains Reason for Delay, Praises Ben Winchell as Max

‘Max Steel’ released its new official U.S. trailer featuring Ben Winchell as the lead protagonist. Director Stewart Hendler explained the reason for the film’s delay and praised his lead actor for his performance as Max.

The first official action-packed U.S. trailer for Hendler’s action-adventure and science-fiction film based on the line of action figures by Mattel has recently been released. Yahoo! Movies posted an exclusive look at a more cohesive version of the international trailer that was premiered just last week.

Production for the film wrapped in 2014 but waiting audiences hardly received updates on the film’s development. Hendler revealed that the reason for the delay came down to “paperwork and release date.” He explained, “It just took a second for them to figure out what date they wanted it on, and find the perfect window for it. It’s Mattel’s first movie, and [the movie’s distributor] Open Road is new, so the handshake took a minute. But now it’s onward and release-ward.”

When asked to describe the film, he replied, “It’s a family, coming-of-age superhero movie with some comedy elements. One of the things that I really love about the movie is the relationship between Max and Steel, the little floating alien dude.”

He added, “It has a buddy comedy vibe to it. And that’s my favorite part of the film, the heart and the banter of the film. But ultimately it’s an origin story for this Mattel brand that is about a superhero that is literally the combination of an alien and a teenager. So we explain the roots of that.”

Hendler also praised newcomer Ben Winchell for his work as lead protagonist Max McGrath. He said, “I think he is so great. I’ve been more bummed for him than anyone in terms of how long it’s taken for this thing to happen, just because I think his performance is super-stellar. He spent the whole shoot literally talking to thin air, since the [Steel] character is CG. That’s not the easiest acting thing to do on your first big movie.”

According to Screen Crush, Max is a teenager who toys around with his late father’s research when he moves back to his hometown. His life takes on an interesting turn when he finds out that he has energy-bending superpowers. Max then meets a small alien robot named Steel, who he combines with to become the superhero Max Steel.

‘Max Steel’ is an upcoming action-adventure and science-fiction film directed by Stewart Hendler and written by Christopher Yost. It stars Ben Winchell, Josh Brener, Maria Bello, and Andy Garcia. It is produced by Mattel Entertainment, Open Road Films (II), Playground Productions, Dolphin Entertainment, and Ingenious Media.

It is scheduled to premiere in theaters on October 21, 2016.