Taylor’s new director says he tried to get the young actor to model himself after Tom on the set of their new film — but we say Tom needs to start taking notes from Taylor!

They’ve got abs and arm muscles to die for, looks up the wazoo and both man a mean motorcycle, but now 18-year-old Taylor Lautner is kicking Tom Cruise‘s butt at the box office AND just shot his first action hero film!

The director of Taylor’s upcoming film Abduction, John Singelton, says he encouraged the young actor to look at Tom’s career to help his performance. “I told him to watch the transition from Top Gun to Rain Man to Born on the Fourth of July,” Singleton said. “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.”

So, should Mr. Mission Impossible be worried that the world’s most famous werewolf will become this generation’s biggest action star? Taylor’s lean, he’s mean and he just shot Abduction, where he plays the son of an international spy, and he’s lined up for Cancun, where he saves his BFFs from a Mexican drug cartel. He’ll also be playing blond, swim trunk-wearing action hero Stretch Armstrong (Taylor in a Speedo? Count us in!)

The evidence: we’re all about the benjamins, baby. Taylor’s newest film, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, has grossed $693,480,124 worldwide – and it was released a week AFTER Tom’s latest movie, Knight & Day – which only grossed $261,473,205. Both guys released their previous movies on major holidays as well – and Taylor beat Tom then, too! His ensemble romantic comedy, Valentine’s Day, made $213,009,598, $13 million more than Tom’s German action-drama Valkyrie, which grossed $200,276,784 after being released on Christmas day in 2008.

Sorry, Tom, but Taylor is the new, improved and younger version of YOU!

Check out HollywoodLife.com’s reasons HERE:

1. Both guys are ballers! Tom played floor-hockey in middle school and was a linebacker for his varsity football team. He also wrestled, but had to drop out due to a knee injury. Taylor not only plays baseball as part of the Hart Baseball Program, but loves football, gymnastics and has been a kung fu master since the age of 7!
2. Both starred in vampire films based on popular novels: Tom in Anne Rice‘s Interview With the Vampire and Taylor, of course, in Stephenie Meyers’ little-known Twilight series (we kid!).
3. Both starred in big movies that brought their female audiences out in droves: Taylor’s Twilight Saga films are becoming as iconic as Tom’s flicks like Risky Business and Top Gun
4. Both found love on-set: Tom met ex-wife Nicole Kidman in Days of Thunder and acted with former GF Penelope Cruz in Vanilla Sky, while Taylor appeared with older woman Taylor Swift, who he was dating, in Valentine’s Day
5. The guys like powerful machines – motorcycles – between their legs (and look good riding them, too)!
   
6. They’re mini-men: Tom is 5’7, Taylor 5’6.
7. They’re both Germans, ja.
8. They’ve both got ‘things’ for gigantic women: Taylor Swift is 5’11 and Tom’s wife, Katie Holmes, is 5’9.
   
9. They’re freakin’ FUNNY! Tom even got his own film based on his hilarious Tropic Thunder character, Les Grossman, while Taylor cracked us all up while performing on Saturday Night Live last December.
10. They’re both pretty little songbirds! Tom croons to Kelly McGillis in Top Gun, while Taylor warbles a lullaby to his Sharkboy co-star Cayden Boyd.

What do you think HollywoodLifers? Does Taylor have Tom beat?