John Cena to Star in Mattel’s ‘Matchbox’ Movie at Apple

John Cena has zoomed into his latest action franchise and is slated to star in Apple Original Film “Matchbox,” the latest feature adaptation of an iconic Mattel toy brand.

Sam Hargrave (“Extraction,” “Extraction II”) is set to direct the live-action feature film with Skydance co-producing alongside Mattel.

David Coggeshall (“The Family Plan,” “Orphan: First Kill”) and Jonathan Tropper (“Your Friends and Neighbors,” “The Adam Project,” “Warrior,” “See”) are penning the script.

Read the studio’s official synopsis, below:

“Matchbox” will be inspired by Mattel’s iconic real-world die-cast toy vehicle line of the same name. The legendary Matchbox brand was invented in 1953 by automotive enthusiast Jack Odell to solve a challenge 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 clamouring for a “matchbox car,” an iconic brand was born. The high standards of authenticity for Matchbox die-cast cars have driven the brand for over 70 years and generations of fans. Today, two Matchbox cars are sold every second somewhere around the world.

Cena will next be seen in Season 2 of the Max original series “Peacemaker” and will embark on his farewell WWE tour in 2025. He is represented by WME, Intenta Media and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Kole.

“Matchbox” will be produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger and Robbie Brenner for Mattel Films. It will mark just the latest collaboration between Skydance and Apple with upcoming titles also including “The Gorge” starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, Guy Ritchie’s “Fountain of Youth” starring Natalie Portman and John Krasinksi, the Ryan Reynolds- and Kenneth Branagh-starring “May Day” and “Way of the Warrior Kid,” the new film directed by McG and starring and produced by Chris Pratt.

Apple Original Films and Skydance also recently partnered with writer Coggeshall on action-comedy “The Family Plan” with Mark Wahlberg.

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