Summary
- Hot Wheels, a successful toy brand since 1978, is now getting its own movie with producer JJ Abrams on board.
- Mattel and Warner Bros. are looking for a director for the Hot Wheels movie and have high hopes for its success.
- Despite limited details about the story or cast, JJ Abrams plans to make the Hot Wheels movie “emotional and grounded and gritty,” bringing a fresh perspective to the toy-based film genre.
When classic games and toys like Battleship and Barbie get their own movies, it certainly seems like any toy is fair game, and now, there is Hot Wheels movie news on the way too. Movies that are based around a toy or game without any kind of built-in mythology can be tricky, but some have pulled it off. Clue and Trolls are two great (and very different examples). While Clue is a satire, Trolls is an animated musical, and both have incredibly devoted audiences. Hot Wheels might just achieve the same level of love.
Hot Wheels debuted on the toy market in 1978 with tiny model cars, and it’s been one of the most successful toy brands ever since, dominating its market for decades. The line has expanded to include licensed characters and restaurants in their products, and they’ve got tracks, play sets, collectible lines, and more. There are even sets themed around movies in the Fast & Furious franchise. Now, rather than the toy cars being based on movies, there’ll be a movie based on the toy cars, and producer JJ Abrams (LOST, Cloverfield) is along for the ride to bring Hot Wheels to the big screen.
Most Recent Hot Wheels Movie News
Though the Hot Wheels movie won’t likely be able to film until after the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have concluded, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still work being done behind the scenes. The most recent Hot Wheels movie news is that Mattel and Warner Bros. are now looking for a director for the movie. While JJ Abrams is attached as a producer, there hasn’t been any word concerning just which directors Warner Bros. and Mattel might be approaching about the movie.
Mattel and Warner Bros. are looking to put Hot Wheels on the fast track when it comes to development. After seeing so much success with Barbie, there’s hope that it could be replicated with the Hot Wheels movie. Though the studios have more than 40 different projects inspired by toys in various stages of development, Hot Wheels, as a worldwide recognized brand, is what Mattel wants to focus on next.
The Hot Wheels Movie Is Confirmed
The Hot Wheels movie was confirmed to be in development in 2022. Prior to Warner Bros. deciding to develop a movie with Abrams’ Bad Robot production company, both Legendary Pictures and Sony had tried their hand at getting a Hot Wheels movie off the ground. While a Hot Wheels movie release date has yet to be confirmed, it could hit theaters as early as 2025 if everything lines up quickly for the project.
Hot Wheels Movie Cast
There is no word yet on any members of the Hot Wheels movie cast. Before actors can be cast, after all, there has to be a script, but there isn’t one just yet. One thing fans can likely expect from a JJ Abrams Hot Wheels movie, however, is that Greg Grunberg will appear in some form. Grunberg and Abrams have been friends since they were kids and the actor has appeared whether in a major role, like the Abrams-produced TV series Felicity, or in a cameo role, like in Abrams’ Star Trek: The Rise of Skywalker.
Of course, Abrams also has a great working relationship with the actors of the modern Star Trek movies. He might be able to get someone like Chris Pine on board who has been diversifying his resume of late by never picking the same type of project twice. He’s recently seen success in the TV miniseries I Am The Night and the genre movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and he’ll appear as Walter Cronkite in the upcoming Newsflash. A Hot Wheels movie would certainly be something different for him.
Hot Wheels Movie Story
The Hot Wheels movie story news came from JJ Abrams himself. The director spoke candidly about his approach to the Hot Wheels movie, and he knows what kind of tone he wants the movie to strike. While a film surrounding the Mattel toys has been in development for 20 years, it’s Abrams’ take that got the project greenlit. He told the New Yorker:
For a long time, we were talking to Mattel about Hot Wheels, and we couldn’t quite find the thing that clicked, that made it worthy of what Hot Wheels—that title—deserved. Then we came up with something… emotional and grounded and gritty.
It’s not clear just how the story of model cars will be “emotional and grounded and gritty” since there have been few details released about the Hot Wheels other than Abram’s commitment to that idea.
Since there hasn’t been much in the way of Hot Wheels movie news regarding the plot, the Hot Wheels movie story is completely unknown, but there are writers employed to pen the script. Dalton Leeb and Nicholas Jacobsen-Larson were announced as writing the script in January 2023. The writing partners previously wrote Endurance and Strongman.
Writing of the script, however, will see a delay as Hollywood has come to a standstill in the wake of the Writers Guild of America strike that began in May. All tv writers’ rooms were disbanded and script writing by individuals was paused while the WGA negotiates with producers and studio heads for fair compensation. While they attempt to negotiate terms for residuals in streaming contracts and limit the use of AI in script writing, movies, and TV series will continue to be delayed, including the Hot Wheels movie.