Taylor Lautner: Action Star didn’t work out too well, but it’s apparently time to see if audiences dig Taylor Lautner: Indie Star instead. THR reports that the Twilight actor is finalizing a deal to team up with director Gus Van Sant (Milk) on an indie project based on a nonfiction article in The New Yorker that Lautner optioned. Details on the project are slim, but the reports says more information is expected later this week regarding who will be scripting the pic. The actor made his headlining debut with the action film Abduction in September, but the flick performed poorly at the box office and drew a harsh critical reaction (4% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Lautner is bracing for the end of the Twilight franchise by trying to find his niche as an actor. THR says he's determined to only work with “top directors and writers” from now on, and Van Sant definitely fits that criteria. It appears that Team Lautner is doing a bit of damage control post-Abduction, but I’m not convinced he can handle weighty dramatic material; his stiff delivery is now pretty much a staple of the Twilight franchise. On the other hand, maybe it just takes a director like Van Sant to get a good performance out of the guy. We'll see soon enough, as they're aiming to shoot the indie during the first quarter of next year.