Apple Original Films has landed Matchbox a new, live-action feature film from Skydance and Mattel Films that will be directed by Sam Hargrave with John Cena set for the lead role. The film will be based on a screenplay by David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper.

The film will be inspired by Mattel’s iconic real-world die-cast toy vehicle line of the same name. The legendary Matchbox brand was invented in 1953 by automotive enthusiast Jack Odell to solve a challenge for his daughter, who was allowed to take a toy to school only if it was small enough to fit in a matchbox. When his daughter’s school friends too began clamouring for a “matchbox car,” an iconic brand was born. The high standards of authenticity for Matchbox die-cast cars have driven the brand for over 70 years and generations of fans. Today, two Matchbox cars are sold every second somewhere around the world.

Matchbox will be produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger for Skydance, and Robbie Brenner for Mattel Films.

The project marks another high-profile tentpole Cena can add to his dance card. He was most recently seen in the Amazon MGM Studios action comedy Jackpot as well as the Peter Farrelly comedy Ricky Stanicky. He also is set to reprise the titular role in the Max series Peacemaker. He is also set to start is farewell tour on the WWE in 2025.

He is repped by WME, Intenta Media, and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Kole.