The live-action adaptation of Hot Wheels is set to rev up its engines as Mattel Films has brought on writers Dalton Leeb and Nicholas Jacobson-Larson to pen the script for the upcoming movie. The 54-year old racecar toy franchise will be brought to life in a live-action adaptation, with Robbie Brenner, EP for Mattel Films, leading the project alongside VP Kevin McKeon and creative executive Andrew Scannell.
The film will also be produced by Bad Robot, with Hannah Minghella and Jon Cohen overseeing the project. This is not the first time Leeb and Jacobson-Larson have worked with Bad Robot, as the duo previously sold their original sci-fi spec, Endurance, to Netflix in a bidding war, with Simon Kinberg producing.
In addition to Endurance, Leeb and Jacobson-Larson have written for a variety of other projects. They wrote The Fall for Amblin and Blackmaled Productions, and Strongman, a darkly comedic reimagining of the making of the original Star Wars trilogy through the eyes of David Prowse, the English bodybuilder behind Darth Vader’s mask. Strongman’s script earned Leeb and Jacobson-Larson a spot on the 2017 Black List.
This is just one of many projects in development for Mattel Films, who also has movies based on American Girl, Barney, Magic 8 Ball, Major Matt Mason, Matchbox, Masters of the Universe, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, Uno, View-Master and Wish Bone in the works. The development slate also includes Christmas Balloon, which is based on all-new IP, and the highly anticipated Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling which will hit theaters on July 21st.
Past Animated Hot Wheels Projects
The Hot Wheels animated series, which ran from 1969 to 1971, featured the characters from the toy line and followed their adventures on a magical island called Hot Wheels City. In 2011, a new animated series called Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 was released and ran for two seasons. The show followed a group of teenage drivers who must defend the Earth from an alien invasion using their high-tech vehicles.
In 2018, a Netflix series called Hot Wheels: Race to Win was released, which followed a group of friends as they compete in races and try to become the best Hot Wheels racers in the world.
The live-action Hot Wheels movie doesn't yet have a release date set on the board.