John Cena is set to star in Matchbox, a live-action adaptation of the classic toy car brand. Apple Original Films has secured the project, which comes from Skydance and Mattel Films. The film will be directed by Sam Hargrave, known for his work on the Extraction movie series.

The screenplay will be written by David Coggeshall, who penned The Family Plan for Apple, and Jonathan Tropper, the writer behind The Adam Project. Matchbox will mark the first time the toyline, launched in 1953 and later acquired by Mattel in 1997, will be adapted for the big screen.

The Matchbox brand was initially created by automotive enthusiast Jack Odell, who designed a small toy car for his daughter. The toy became so popular among her school friends that the brand was eventually born, offering small, collectible cars that could fit in a matchbox. Mattel, which also owns the popular Hot Wheels brand, has long competed in the die-cast car market.

Plot details for the film remain under wraps, but the production continues Mattel’s recent trend of bringing its iconic toylines to cinema, following other toy-to-film adaptations.

David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger of Skydance will produce, alongside Robbie Brenner for Mattel Films. This is the latest in a series of collaborations between Skydance and Apple, which includes upcoming films like The Gorge and Fountain of Youth.

Cena, who has starred in recent projects such as Amazon’s Jackpot and HBO’s Peacemaker, is also set to embark on his farewell WWE tour in 2025. He is represented by WME, Intenta Media and Johnson, Shapiro.