Why Taylor Lautner Didn't Return As Sharkboy In We Can Be Heroes

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Taylor Lautner explains why he opted not to return as Sharkboy for Robert Rodriguez's We Can Be Heroes. Lautner is best known for playing Jacob Black, the third point on The Twilight Saga's central love triangle, but he's also built up a solid filmography over the years. He's put in series regular roles on shows like Scream Queens and Cuckoo, and his biggest role before Twilight came in Rodriguez's The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Lautner's sharp-toothed hero was the perfect partner for Taylor Dooley's bright-eyed Lavagirl, and they both had an impact on many childhoods.

That's why so many fans were stunned when Lautner didn't reprise his Sharkboy for the Netflix film We Can Be Heroes. Released on the streamer at the very end of 2020, We Can Be Heroes largely focuses on several new characters, many of whom are the children of superheroes. However, in a fun twist for fans, Rodriguez set the film in his Sharkboy and Lavagirl universe and brought back the titular pair. Dooley returned to play Lavagirl, but Lautner sat out the film, much to the internet's dismay. Instead, JJ Dashnaw took over.

Related: Every DC & Marvel Superhero Parodied In We Can Be Heroes

Screen Rant recently got the chance to sit down with Lautner ahead of his new movie Home Team. During the conversation, the subject of We Can Be Heroes came up, and he revealed why he didn't play Sharkboy. It mostly came down to timing and what Lautner wanted to pursue at the time. He said:

You know, it just was during a point in my life where I took a step back, and I kind of, don't wanna tie this back to the movie, but kind of like Sean in [Home Team], I took a step back to focus on things that were important in my life, and that was my family and my friends