A very happy birthday shout-out goes to Taylor Lautner, who, just one year into adulthood, is the highest-grossing member of "The Twilight Saga" trio and one of the hottest young adult stars in Hollywood. This coming year will undoubtedly be one of the biggest years of the 19-year-old's career as he finishes filming "Breaking Dawn" and embarks on his journey as a leading man after "The Twilight Saga" is finished.
In honor of his big day, we're taking a look at all the projects Lautner has on the horizon. If his current trajectory is anything to judge by, we have a feeling he will be even more popular and earning even more box-office gold at this time next year.
First up is "Abduction," which is being described as a thriller along the lines of the Jason Bourne films. He's done intense amounts of training for the film and it will be his first chance to show off his chops as an action star. It also helps that his co-star, Lily Collins, is another big up-and-comer (she'll star in the adaptation of "City of Bones") and that their combined star power should propel his first major starring role post-"Twilight Saga."
Rounding out 2011 is the much-anticipated release of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which will feature Lautner more than any other film in the series. If the film stays true to the book (and there's no guarantee that it will), about half of it will be shown from his character Jacob's perspective, and it will be up to him and his wolf pack to carry the film. He also ends up with certainly one of the most interesting love interests he's likely to have onscreen during the course of his career.
Aside from the release of "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" in late 2012, Lautner has a couple of other big films on the horizon as well. He returns to the young adult genre in the upcoming adaptation of "Incarceron," and he's shaping up to land a pretty hot co-star for the film. Last we heard, Emma Watson, Blake Lively and Jennifer Lawrence are short-listed for his romantic lead.
And though it's been about a year since we heard major news on Lautner's other upcoming film "Stretch Armstrong," it's likely that he'll start filming it once he's done with "Breaking Dawn" in the next couple of months. It's slated for 2012 and will also likely be his first film in 3-D. It's a good thing, then, that he will "not wear a shirt" during the entire film.
Last but not least, Lautner has his third action film in the form of "Cancun." It's being described as "Taken" meets "Die Hard" and will be produced by Lautner's own production company, Tailor Made. Again, there hasn't been a lot of news on the film recently, but we're excited to see him show off his martial arts skills some more on the big screen.
Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1."
For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.
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