Matchbox Movie Gets Seasoned Action Director As We See What Barbie's Success Has Wrought

Mattel's next "big" movie may have found its director, as Deadline reports today that Sam Hargrave has closed a deal with Skydance and Mattel Films to helm the toy company's upcoming film "Matchbox." Hargrave is best known as the director of the Netflix film "Extraction" and its sequel; Netflix has said the first film in the franchise is one of the most-watched original movies it's ever released.

Mattel, the company that brought fans a billion-dollar "Barbie" movie, is clearly looking for another huge hit, and based on his track record at Netflix, Hargrave is able to get audiences seated. The first "Extraction" film dropped in 2020, starred Chris Hemsworth, and was reportedly watched by 99 million households during its first month on the streamer. While Netflix's data and viewership measurements are notoriously opaque, that's still a hell of a number, and it's one that could translate to success when it comes to "Matchbox."

Hargrave isn't the first major filmmaker to get on board with Mattel Films' sprawling new plan for several upcoming movies related to nostalgic toys and properties. Beloved indie filmmaker Greta Gerwig became a household name after helming "Barbie," and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya is set to direct a "Barney" film for the company that's already been compared to "Adaptation" and "Being John Malkovich." A "Polly Pocket" movie from Lena Dunham and a J.J. Abrams-produced "Hot Wheels" flick are also included among the surreal lineup teased by Mattel post-"Barbie."

There seem to be no plot details publicly available for the "Matchbox" film at this time, but it'll somehow relate back to the line of popular, miniature toy cars invented in 1953. Per Deadline, the script for the film will come from David Coggeshall, who wrote great recent horror flicks like "Orphan: First Kill" and "Prey," and Jonathan Tropper, who created the underrated martial arts series "Warrior." While it's tough to get excited for movies that seem to be designed as toy tie-ins first, and works of art second, the inclusion of Tropper and Coggeshall does admittedly make me sit up and take notice.

Still, there's no telling at this point whether or not "Matchbox" will be any good. Former stuntman Hargrave knows how to helm an action flick people will watch, but critics weren't exactly effusive towards "Extraction" or its sequel. The first film currently holds a 67% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and its sequel earned just a 3.5 out of 10 ranking in its /Film review from Josh Spiegel.

Producers on the project include David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, and Robbie Brenner, while Aimee Rivera, Elizabeth Bassin, and Andrew Scannell will executive produce. "Matchbox" does not yet have a release date.