Matchbox: The Movie
2026 American film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matchbox: The Movie is an upcoming American action adventure comedy film directed by Sam Hargrave and written by David Coggeshall, based on the toy brand Matchbox by Mattel. It stars John Cena, Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, Teyonah Parris, Randeep Hooda, Danai Gurira, Corey Stoll, Golshifteh Farahani, and Bill Camp.
- David Ellison
- Dana Goldberg
- Don Granger
- Robbie Brenner
| Matchbox: The Movie | |
|---|---|
 Official logo | |
| Directed by | Sam Hargrave |
| Written by | David Coggeshall |
| Based on | Matchbox by Mattel |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Pedro Luque |
| Edited by | Dirk Westervelt[1] |
| Music by | Alex Belcher |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Apple TV |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Matchbox: The Movie is set to be released in the United States on Apple TV in October 9, 2026.
Premise
The plot follows Sean, a former soldier who reunites with childhood friends after a successful mission, only to be kidnapped and framed. The group must clear their names and rediscover their friendship in a high-stakes cross-continental adventure.
Cast
- John Cena as Sean[3][4]
- Graham Harvey as Young Sean
- Jessica Biel as Aimee[4]
- Reagan Marum as Young Aimee
- Sam Richardson as Crosby[4]
- Aiden Stoxx as Young Crosby
- Teyonah Parris as Charmaine[5]
- Braxton Paul as Young Charmaine
- Arturo Castro as Ted[6]
- Max Fox as Young Ted
- Randeep Hooda as Mustafa[7]
- Danai Gurira as Helen[8]
- Corey Stoll as Mosier[9]
- Bill Camp as Smalley[10]
- Golshifteh Farahani as Robbie[10]
- Daniel Bernhardt as Falko
Production
In May 2024, Skydance Media and Mattel Films were developing a live-action film based on the toy brand Matchbox. Sam Hargrave had been hired to direct the film, and David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper were writing the screenplay.[11] In September, John Cena joined the cast in the lead role.[12] In November, Jessica Biel joined the cast in an undisclosed role.[13] In December, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, and Teyonah Parris joined the cast in undisclosed roles.[4][6][5] Randeep Hooda, Danai Gurira, Corey Stoll, Bill Camp, and Golshifteh Farahani would later be added to the cast.[7][8][9][10]
Filming began in Budapest in January 2025, with additional filming taking place in Casablanca in March, as evidenced by social media posts showing lead actor John Cena filming action car scenes on location.[14] Scenes were also filmed in Erfoud and Merzouga.[15] Production was also expected to occur in Slovakia (already finished as of April 7, 2025[16]) and Los Angeles.[17]
