Taylor Lautner: Trying To Become The Next Tom Cruise?

For a teen wolf, Taylor Lautner has some big ambitions.

Working to make the transition from tween heart throb in the 'Twilight' series to a more serious actor, his director in the upcoming thriller 'Abduction' gave him a lofty role model to watch: Tom Cruise.

"I told him to watch the transition from 'Top Gun' to 'Rain Man' to 'Born on the Fourth of July,'" director John Singleton told The Los Angeles Times. "To think about what he did as a young man and what he did later on. And then think about what you want to do."

Cruise made the transition himself, as a young action idol in 'Top Gun' to more touching roles in the late eighties. Since, he's gone back and forth between drama and action, spanning films such as 'Jerry Maguire' and 'Mission: Impossible.'

For his part, Singleton is confident that Lautner can make the switch:

"I think when people see this film [Abduction] they'll see a more mature Taylor," Singleton said. "He's doing this [thing] he's never done before. He's funny and charismatic. He has room to breathe that he's never had before."

For more on the Lautner/Cruise/Singleton story, click over to the LA Times.