John Cena has signed on to star in "Matchbox", a live-action feature take on the classic Mattel car toyline.
Apple Original Films has snagged the mighty film package that hails from Skydance and Mattel Films.
Sam Hargrave, the director behind the gritty Extraction movies, is on board to helm the pic.
The project is coming in full throttle with a screenplay by "The Family Plan" scribe David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper, who penned the Ryan Reynolds action-adventure feature "The Adam Project".
Matchbox is the toy brand first created in 1953 and acquired by Mattel in 1997.
Mattel competed with Matchbox in the die-cast car space with its own line, Hot Wheels.
According to lore, automotive enthusiast Jack Odell designed the first car for his daughter, who was allowed to take a toy to school only if it was small enough to fit in a matchbox. When his daughter’s school friends too began clamoring for a “matchbox car,” an iconic brand was born.
Plot details are being kept under wraps. While Hollywood has tried for years to bring Hot Wheels to the big-screen, this appears to be the first time Matchbox has been developed as a movie.
The project marks the latest collaboration between Skydance and Apple.
Producing are Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger, as well as Robbie Brenner for Mattel Films.
Cena recently starred opposite Akwafina in Amazon’s action-comedy "Jackpot".
He is currently shooting season two of the Max original series "Peacemaker", based on the DC heroes.
Cena is also prepping to embark on his farewell WWE tour in 2025.
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