Hollywood's toy-box-to-screen pipeline rolls on this week: 'Matchbox: The Movie,' the John Cena-led action adventure inspired by Mattel's die-cast car brand, premieres globally on Apple TV on Friday, October 9.
Cena plays Sean, an undercover CIA agent who returns to his hometown and unwittingly drags his group of childhood friends into an international pursuit to save the world, according to 9to5Mac's October streaming roundup.
Cast and crew
The film stars John Cena alongside Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, Arturo Castro, Danai Gurira and Corey Stoll. It is directed by Sam Hargrave, the stuntman-turned-filmmaker behind 'Extraction' and 'Extraction II.'
The movie draws on the Matchbox brand of die-cast toy vehicles, which dates back to 1953 — following in the tyre tracks of Mattel stablemate Hot Wheels and rival Hasbro's Transformers as toy lines turned into screen franchises.
Big practical stunts
Rather than leaning entirely on computer-generated spectacle, the production emphasised practical stunt work. Director Hargrave has spoken about the film's large-scale practical sequences, including a car rolling 14 times, per the Static Multimedia report.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs about 2 hours 6 minutes, positioning it as a family-friendly action outing for the October weekend.
'Matchbox: The Movie' lands on Apple TV at a busy moment for the streamer, which is stacking its October slate with new films and series heading into the awards season.
Sources:
9to5Mac: Here's everything new Apple TV has coming in October
Static Multimedia: Matchbox: The Movie – John Cena, Big Stunts And Big Adventure
Cena plays Sean, an undercover CIA agent who returns to his hometown and unwittingly drags his group of childhood friends into an international pursuit to save the world, according to 9to5Mac's October streaming roundup.
Cast and crew
The film stars John Cena alongside Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, Arturo Castro, Danai Gurira and Corey Stoll. It is directed by Sam Hargrave, the stuntman-turned-filmmaker behind 'Extraction' and 'Extraction II.'
The movie draws on the Matchbox brand of die-cast toy vehicles, which dates back to 1953 — following in the tyre tracks of Mattel stablemate Hot Wheels and rival Hasbro's Transformers as toy lines turned into screen franchises.
Big practical stunts
Rather than leaning entirely on computer-generated spectacle, the production emphasised practical stunt work. Director Hargrave has spoken about the film's large-scale practical sequences, including a car rolling 14 times, per the Static Multimedia report.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs about 2 hours 6 minutes, positioning it as a family-friendly action outing for the October weekend.
'Matchbox: The Movie' lands on Apple TV at a busy moment for the streamer, which is stacking its October slate with new films and series heading into the awards season.
Sources:
9to5Mac: Here's everything new Apple TV has coming in October
Static Multimedia: Matchbox: The Movie – John Cena, Big Stunts And Big Adventure
