Is Mattel trying to get a Dino-Riders movie going?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

After the massive success of Universal's JURASSIC WORLD this year (currently sitting at a comfy $1.6 billion worldwide) it should come as no surprise that dinosaurs may be heating up the big screen again. While Colin Trevorrow works on the script for the JW sequel, others may be preparing to kick off their own dino invasion and what better place to start than with cheesy '80's toy franchises? Yup, it's time to revive the Dino-Riders, or so toy company Mattel would hope, according to The Tracking Board. If you missed a decade and aren't quite sure what the Dino-Riders are, then check out this L. Ron Hubbard level explanation from IMDB:

Pursued by intergalactic warlord Krulos and his Rulons, human Valorians fly through a wormhole and end up on the prehistoric Earth. Krulos follows and becomes stuck in prehistory as well. Both sides build dinosaur armies and engage.

Basically, you're talking about dinosaurs with frickin' laser beams fighting against each other (controlled by two warring alien races, of course). According to The Tracking Board "producers are currently looking for the right scribe to give their take on the concept" but it's not locked down at any particular studio as of yet and is in very early stages. With the success of both JURASSIC WORLD and the TRANSFORMERS franchises of late, Dino-Riders seems almost like the next logical property to get picked up by a major studio. Like TRANSFORMERS it's simply a property created to sell toys, but it still left a nostalgic mark on those that grew up with them and has potential to be a success. That doesn't mean it will be good, but ultimately, who could resist dinosaurs running around with mounted lasers fighting each other?

What do you think? Could Dino-Riders be a viable toy-to-film property or is it just a shameless grab at a popular trend?

In the meantime, enjoy this trip down '80's memory lane…