After acting in the Amazon MGM Studios action comedies Jackpot and Ricky Stanicky earlier this year, John Cena is set to star in a film by Apple Original Films titled Matchbox. The film will be inspired by Mattel's die-cast toy vehicle and directed by Sam Hargrave. David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper will write the screenplay.
Matchbox will be produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger, and Robbie Brenner for Mattel Films. This will be among the many films announced by Mattel post the success of Barbie (2023), among which are also Masters of the Universe, Thomas & Friends: The Movie, Bob the Builder, and Hot Wheels.
Primarily a stunt coordinator for films like Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Suicide Squad (2016), Hargrave has also directed action films like Extraction (2020) and its sequel Extraction 2 (2023).
Cena, on the other hand, has Heads of State directed by Ilya Naishuller in the pipeline, which he is also the executive producer for.