If the constant flow of fast-paced action from San Diego Comic-Con is wearing you out, hold on a bit longer—Apple is ready to turn the key on its upcoming Matchbox movie, based on the legendary Mattel toy line. Directed and executive produced by Extraction filmmaker Sam Hargrave and written by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill, The Family Plan 2), the high-octane action film starring John Cena revs its engine on Apple TV on October 9. To celebrate the movie’s reveal, Apple debuted a fresh trailer alongside first-look images, giving fans a taste of the nostalgia-driven feature.
In Matchbox: The Movie, John Cena plays a spy who is framed by nuclear terrorists when a nuke is stolen. He happens to be visiting his hometown at the time, and his friends end up kidnapped with him. Now they are all on the run and have to recover the bomb. All stunts and chases are practical. Jessica Biel does a lot of the driving as she plays an EMT/ rally car driver, while Cena executes all the fight sequences. The film looks to rely heavily on comedy and the friend group’s chemistry. I’m getting significant Fast & Furious vibes from this one, folks.
During the panel for Matchbox: The Movie, John Cena opened up about the intense stunt sequences he performed for the upcoming film:
Joining John Cena for Matchbox: The Movie are Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, Danai Gurira, Golshifteh Farahani, Corey Stoll, and Bill Camp. Alongside the trailer, Apple released stills from the film. The first features Cena sprinting through gridlock traffic, while another depicts a fleet of vehicles speeding down a vacant stretch of highway.
Seeing this news today, I can’t help but think back to growing up with my own Matchbox collection. I used to build the most elaborate tracks in my basement, using everything from bookshelves to Lego sets and pieces from other playsets to create a wild, unpredictable raceway. These days, I still have a couple of those cars hanging around, and I’ve added to the collection over time with different iterations of the Batmobile. Not too long ago, I gifted a ton of my old Matchbox cars to my nephew—he absolutely lost his 8-year-old mind.
What do you think about today’s Matchbox: The Movie trailer? Did you have a Matchbox collection back in the day? Let us know in the comments below!
Matchbox: The Movie comes to Apple TV on October 9, 2026.
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