Following the huge success of Barbie and the huge failure of Masters of the Universe, Mattel Films has released the trailer for its latest project: Matchbox: The Movie.

    The official synopsis reads: “An action-packed, globetrotting adventure about a group of friends since childhood who have their lives upended when undercover CIA agent Sean, their long-absent former leader, returns to their small town and unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.”

    And we definitely get a lot of the trailer: plenty of Fast & Furious-style action with cars barreling through the desert, nuclear warheads getting stolen, villains threatening to throw people out of planes, dangling out of a helicopter, am armed chase through city streets, a big motorway set piece, and a convoy truck going flying for good measure.

    arturo castro, jessica biel, john cena, teyonah parris, sam richardson, matchbox the movie

    Apple TV

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    It doesn’t immediately seem very Matchbox-related really, but the trailer reveals that the group used to love playing with the little die-cast toy vehicles when they were younger, and that’s why Sean called them in to save the world from terrorists.

    There’s also a few shots of some kids in the present day holding onto their Matchboxes while all the chaos is unfolding, just for good measure.

    Cast-wise, John Cena is the lead, with Jessica Biel in her first film role since 2017, Broad City’s Arturo Castro, Veep’s Sam Richardson, The MCU’s Teyonah Parris, Corey Stoll and Danai Gurira, Body of Lies’ Golshifteh Farahani and The Queen’s Gambit’s Bill Camp.

    Unlike Barbie and Masters of the Universe, Matchbox: The Movie is skipping cinemas and coming straight to streaming, releasing on Apple TV in early October.

    matchbox the movie

    Apple TV

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    Meanwhile, John Cena will soon be seen on the big screen in the Looney Tunes film Coyote vs Acme.

    What’s exciting about this release is that this is the film that was fully completed and then scrapped by Warner Bros three years ago, before it was rescued and given a second shot.

    Matchbox: The Movie will be released on Apple TV on 9 October.

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    Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.

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