Mattel has officially enlisted Peacemaker star John Cena to lead the cast of its upcoming live-action Matchbox movie, based on its popular real-world die-cast car toy line. This marks Cena’s latest collaboration with Mattel Films following his brief appearance as a Mermaid Ken in the Margot Robbie-led Barbie movie.
This year, Cena has appeared in three comedy movies, including Apple’s Argylle with Henry Cavill, Prime Video’s Ricky Stanicky with Zac Efron, and Prime Video’s Jackpot! with Awkwafina. He also recently guest-starred in an episode of The Bear Season 3. Cena will next be seen reprising his role as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker in the long-awaited Peacemaker Season 2, which debuts in 2025.
Who’s involved in the Matchbox movie?
The live-action Matchbox movie will be directed by Sam Hargrave, who’s best known for helming Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction movies. Matchbox was created by automotive expert Jack Odell in 1953 for Lesney Products. In 1997, the toy brand was officially acquired by Mattel. The screenplay is co-written by David Coggeshall (The Family Plan) and Jonathan Tropper (The Adam Project). It hails from Apple Original Films, Skydance, and Mattel Films, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, and Robbie Brenner serving as producers.
“For nearly 70 years, Matchbox has carried enormous cultural relevance and inspired generations of kids to unleash their imaginations, combining what they see in the world every day with what they dream their own world to be,” Brenner said in a previous statement when the project was first announced back in 2022. “We look forward to working with our incredible partners at Skydance Media to craft a story for the big screen that evokes the same, imaginative spirit of this beloved Mattel franchise and delights fans of all ages.”
