Atlanta area actor Ben Winchell, 22, has a lead role in the new action film Max Steel opening Friday

DULUTH, Ga. - Oct. 11, 2016 - PRLog -- Actor Ben Winchell of Duluth has the lead role in the action movie Max Steel, which premieres in theaters nationwide on Friday, October 14^th. Winchell plays Max McGrath, a teenager who discovers his body can generate the most powerful energy in the universe when he joins forces with the extraterrestrial "Steel," played by actor Josh Brener.

At age 22, Ben Winchell is already a veteran actor, with numerous credits in film, on television and on the stage. At 14, he was one of 12 local teens cast in the premiere of High School Musical 2 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. In 2009 he decided to branch out into film and TV and, right after getting an agent, landed a lead role in the popular Lifetime Network film, The Pregnancy Pact. (2010).

Recently, Winchell was a regular on MTV's Finding Carter, which filmed in Atlanta. He plays "Ben Wallace," Carter's long-lost brother. Winchell was also seen in season 3 of Ant Farm (2011) on Disney, and season 2 of Unnecessary Roughness (2011) on TNT. He splits his time now between Duluth, where his family still lives, and Hollywood, where most filming happens.

Winchell was born in Lawrenceville, Ga., and grew up in Duluth. He began acting in theater at age five. He was home-schooled as he got older, so he could better pursue acting, and he landed parts in local community theater productions through CYT, RISPA, Atlanta Studio Theater, and Johns Creek High School Theater. He also performed with the Broadway Dreams Foundation.

Filming for Max Steel began in April, 2014, in Wilmington, N.C., and wrapped in May. Directed by Stewart Handler (Sorority Row), with the screenplay by Christopher Yost (Thor: Ragnarok), the action sci-fi film is based off of the line of Mattel action figures and animated series.  It was co-produced by Dolphin Films and Mattel, with Open Road Films selected to distribute the film.

Max Steel is an in-depth "origin" story. The plot chronicles the adventures of teenager "Max McGrath" and alien companion "Steel," who must harness and combine their tremendous new powers to evolve into the turbo-charged superhero Max Steel. As these two unlikely friends struggle to accept their oddly connected fates, they begin to uncover unimaginable secrets, working together to find the truth, and fight the mysterious forces threatening their world.

Ben Winchell may be contacted through his local agent, The People Store (Brenda Pauley, at 404-874-6448, or Brenda@peoplestore.net); or his manager (Bradley Stokes, at 424-288-4363,  or BradleyJStokes@hotmail.com).