Jon Cena Tapped to Bring Iconic Toy Car Brand to the Big Screen

Following the success of 2023's Barbie, the next Mattel toy brand headed to theaters will be Matchbox. And on Wednesday, it was announced that John Cena has signed on to lead the live-action film about the iconic die-cast toy cars.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple Original Films has acquired rights to the project, which is being developed by Skydance and Mattel Films. Sam Hargrave, best known for his collaborations with the Russo brothers and his 2020 debut Extraction, as well as its upcoming sequel, has been brought on to direct.

Matchbox was first launched in 1953 by engineer and inventor Jack Odell, who designed the first car small enough for his daughter to bring to school. In 1997, the brand was acquired by Mattel, which already owned the competitor die-cast toy car brand Hot Wheels. There have been several efforts to turn Hot Wheels into film over the years, with the latest project reportedly in development with Warner Bros. and Bad Robot as of January 2023, but there have been no updates in nearly two years.

On the other hand, this marks the first attempt at turning Matchbox into a film franchise, with details being kept tightly under wraps. David Coggeshall, who wrote Apple Studios' The Family Plan as well as The Adam Project screenwriter Jonathan Tropper are reportedly behind the screenplay.

In addition to Matchbox and possibly Hot Wheels, Mattel Films has a whole slate of upcoming projects in the pipeline. The film production arm of the toy manufacturing and entertainment company also has laid out plans to bring brands including American Girl, Magic 8 Ball, Masters of the Universe, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, Uno, and View-Master to life.