‘Matchbox’ Movie Adds ‘Walking Dead’ & ‘Black Panther’ Star

Even before the success of Barbie, there has been a rich history of films and television based on toys. Transformers, The LEGO Movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and Trolls are just a few projects that were born from the beloved playthings in our childhood toy boxes. Now, as Mattel and Apple Original Films hope to find similar success onscreen with another iconic toy line, Matchbox adds another incomparable badass to their cast.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Danai Gurira will star in the upcoming live-action feature film based on the legendary toy car brand. Her role in the film has not been revealed at this time, but many will recognize the African actor for playing Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Michonne from The Walking Dead. Gurira also reprises the role of the sword-wielding survivor in its spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, where she also serves as an executive producer and writer. For Matchbox, she joins a stacked cast that already includes John Cena (who is currently preparing for the last WWE Royal Rumble match of his decorated in-ring career), Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, and fellow MCU alum Teyonah Parris.

Character and story details from David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper’s script are still very much under wraps, However, we do know that Sam Hargrave of Extraction fame will direct Gurira, Cena, and company in this film for the Apple streamer. Similar to another car-centric movie franchise featuring a former multi-time World Heavyweight Champion and found family, it’s said that the filmmaker is gearing up to take the audience on a globe-trotting adventure with stops in Hungary and Slovakia as a group of friends are tasked with stopping an “impending worldwide disaster” and “rediscover their friendship along the way.”

Be sure to stay tuned to That Hashtag Show as we uncover more details about this upcoming film based on the classic miniature vehicle brand.