Mattel Films and Skydance’s upcoming live-action film adaptation of Matchbox has finally found its director. Matchbox is Mattel’s popular real-world die-cast toy car brand, which was first created in 1953 by original owner Lesney Products.
According to Deadline, Extraction director Sam Hargrave has been tapped to helm the live-action Matchbox movie for Mattel Films and Skydance. Before stepping behind the camera, Hargrave was best known for his work as a stunt coordinator on a number of high-profile movies, such as The Hunger Games sequels, Captain America: Civil War, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Avengers: Endgame. In 2020, he had his feature-length directorial debut with Netflix’s action thriller film Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth as a black ops mercenary. Due to its streaming success, Hargrave returned for its sequel 2023’s Extraction 2, which garnered more positive reviews from critics than the first installment. He will once again reunite with Hemsworth and writer Joe Russo for Extraction 3, which is now in development at Netflix.
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In addition to Hargrave, David Coggeshall (The Family Plan) and Jonathan Tropper (Warrior) have also boarded the live-action Matchbox movie to co-write its screenplay. Further details about its plot and characters remained under wraps. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger are producing through Skydance, along with Mattel Films’ Robbie Brenner. Skydance’s Aimee Rivera will be overseeing the project on behalf of the studio, with Elizabeth Bassin and Andrew Scannell set to oversee for Mattel Films.
Matchbox was invented by automotive enthusiast Jack Odell in 1953 for his daughter to be able to bring a toy to school that was small enough to fit in a matchbox. According to Mattel, there is one Matchbox car sold every second. “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 statement when the project was first announced back in July 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.”
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Mattel Films’ Upcoming Live-Action Movies
Following the blockbuster and critical success of last year’s Barbie movie, Mattel Films has commissioned several live-action adaptations based on their popular toy brands, including Hot Wheels, Uno, View-Master, Magic 8 Ball, Polly Pocket, Major Matt Mason, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots and Barney. This is part of the studio’s long-term strategy to become one of the major main players in the filmmaking industry. “We have been consistently systematically and methodically executing our strategy even before the Barbie movie came out,” Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz said. “This is not just about planting a TV series here or there. It’s about a comprehensive approach to how we manage franchises with toys being a key and core capability. It’s about creating multiple touchpoints with your fans, and [to] continue to grow that engagement that is very unique to what we can bring to the table.”
At the time of writing, the release date for Mattel’s Matchbox has yet to be announced.
Source: Deadline
