After dominating the box office and breaking records with āBarbie,ā Mattel has officially arrived in Hollywood. In 2018, after a tumultuous period of declining toy sales, Mattel broughtā¦
variety.com
Major Matt Mason
Star: Tom Hanks
Writer: Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon
Hanks will star as the Mattel astronaut action figure from the 1960s who lives and works on the moon.
UNO
Writer: Marcy Kelly
The top-performing card game in the world will now become a movie.
Wishbone
Studio: Universal
Producer: Peter Farrelly
The literary Jack Russell terrier who became famous on PBS in the '90s will now star in his own family-friendly adventure comedy, produced by the "Dumb & Dumber" filmmaker.
Matchbox
Studio: Skydance
Writer: David Coggeshall
An action movie will be based on the legendary toy cars that were invented in 1953.
Thomas & Friends
Director: Marc Forster
The "World War Z" and "Monster's Ball" director will helm a fantasy film based on the children's animated train series.
Christmas Balloon
Writer: Gabby Lugo
Producer: Chris Lemos
Not based on a toy but based on a true story of when Mattel donated toys to help make a young girl's dream come true after she tied her Christmas list to a balloon that was found by a grieving couple who worked with the toy company to fulfill the girl's wishes. Mattel looks to produce a family drama drawing from the story.
Barney
Producer: Daniel Kaluuya
The iconic purple dinosaur will inspire a live-action film that Mattel has
previously described as an "A24-type" of "surrealistic" movie. Now, Brenner divulges a few more details, telling
Variety, "I don't know that it's necessarily going to be darker. It's just going to be unique ā more of like a 'Being John Malkovich' or an 'Adaptation,'" she says, referencing the 1999 and 2002 Spike Jonze films.
"Any movie that has Barney is not certainly going to be straightforward," Brenner adds. Referencing the Seth MacFarlane comedies, she quips: "We're not making 'Ted.' You know what I mean?"
Reciting the famous "Barney" song ("I love you, you love me, we're a happy family"), the Mattel exec says the upcoming film will be about "identity and finding who you love and who feels alienated" and "what does it all mean?" Brenner says the film will "be more adult and have adult themes ā and sort of be a little bit off-kilter."
Polly Pocket
Studio: MGM
Star: Lily Collins
Writer/Director: Lena Dunham
The "Emily In Paris" star will star as the micro-doll in a family comedy written and directed by the "Girls" creator.
Brenner confirms to
Variety that there is a script, which she enthusiastically describes as a "great" script. "First of all, they are two of my favorite ladies ever," Brenner says of Collins and Dunham. "It's been an amazing collaboration. Lena is so collaborative and rolls up her sleeves and really likes to roll around in notes and listen. She's incredible. Lily is so smart and so specific and so productorial. It's just been an incredible collaboration, so we are thrilled about it. Hopefully, we'll be making that at some point in the future."
Hot Wheels
Studio: Warner Bros.
Producer: JJ Abrams
The top-selling toy in the world will be brought to life in a film that features cars, monster trucks and motorcycles.
Abrams has described the adaptation as "grounded and gritty." Brenner tells
Variety that his words mean that the film will have "real characters that you can relate to, that are three-dimensional, that have emotional journeys." She adds, "Look at any J.J. Abrams movie. All of his movies have an incredible story and incredible characters. That was something that was important to him ā to make a movie that's not just going to be fun and exciting, but that has real emotion and real stakes to it."
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
Studio: Universal
Star: Vin Diesel
Writer: Ryan Engle
The "Fast & Furious" star will lead a feature based on Mattel's tabletop game of battling robots. "Vin is excited," Brenner says. "We're working on developing a script and we're all very excited about it."
