Can Matchbox cars enjoy the same big screen boost as Barbie? That’s what Mattel (maker of both Barbie and Matchbox) are hoping after announcing plans for a movie based on the small toy cars.
And it looks set to be an action-packed film, with producers Skydance and Mattel Films tabbing Sam Hargrave, director of the Chris Hemsworth shoot-em-up Extraction, to helm the project. The movie will be written by Jonathan Tropper and David Coggeshall, the former is a novelist and screenwriter whose credits include The Adam Project, while the latter is responsible for writing the AppleTV+ movie, The Family Plan.
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Matchbox cars were invented in 1953 by the Lesney Products company, with co-owner Jack Odell widely credited with creating the first scaled down vehicles. He made a 1:75 scale version of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation coach that could fit inside a matchbox for his daughters, as they needed to be that small to be allowed by the school’s rules. More scale vehicles were made and the company decided to mass-market them, creating the toy giant that is now under the control of Mattel; alongside its made competition, Hot Wheels.
Plot details for the new film remain under wraps, but given the writers and director expect plenty of high-speed car action but it’s unclear if it will take a more kid-friendly approach or aim for the violence of the Fast and Furious franchise.
According to film industry sources, Mattel Films is also working on a movie based on Hot Wheels, as well as other toy lines in the wake of the global success of the Barbie movie.
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