After Barbie, Mattel Is Launching Its Own Cinematic Universe With 14 Movies: Report

Fresh off Barbie’s box office success, manufacturer Mattel, which owns the Barbie brand, is reportedly looking to expand on its IP with 14 new feature films, all in different stages of production. As per Variety, they include a surrealistic Barney movie, Lena Dunham’s take on Polly Pocket, a Hot Wheels movie produced by J.J. Abrams, and more. The Mattel executives are also keen to do sequels to Greta Gerwig’s candy-coated film, though the filmmaker isn’t thinking about a follow-up for now, claiming, “At this moment, it’s all I’ve got.” Then again, seeing the impressive $337 million (about Rs. 2,763 crore) it made during the opening weekend, it’s not hard to imagine that Warner Bros. and Mattel will want more.

The Variety report notes that producer Robbie Brenner, who currently leads Mattel Films, was hoping for Barbie to succeed, so they could bank on potential sequels and new projects based on established IP. This echoes the newly-appointed CEO Ynon Kreiz’s plan from 2018 when Mattel’s sales were dwindling, where he wanted to turn the toy company into a franchise composed of films, TV series, and theme parks — much like Disney. Their first step towards that goal seems to have paid off, with the Barbie movie outselling Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, both having released on the same day.

Reports from earlier this month confirmed Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya (Nope) would be producing and starring in an adult-oriented ‘A24-type‘ film based on Barney, the friendly purple dinosaur from the children’s TV show Barney & Friends. Mattel executives claimed that it won’t be R-rated, but the themes would lean more towards an adult’s taste, featuring a ‘surrealistic’ take that’s similar to films like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation — from the brilliant minds of Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman. Speaking to Variety, producer Brenner claimed that the film will be about ‘identity and finding who you love and who feels alienated.’

The miniature-sized Polly Pocket is another toy brand that Mattel plans to turn into a movie, albeit it doesn’t have as big of a brand recognition as Barbie. Lena Dunham (Girls) will write and direct the movie, which stars Lily Collins (Emily in Paris, Mank) in the lead role. The film is still in its early stages, with producer Brenner claiming that a ‘great’ script was turned in. Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams (Mission: Impossible III) will produce a movie based on the Hot Wheels toy line, which is being described as ‘grounded and gritty’ with emotional characters that the audience will be able to relate to. Warner Bros. will be distributing it and since Abrams is involved, you might as well factor in some lens flare.

Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel is looking to delve into robots soon, with a feature film adaptation of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, the tabletop boxing game from Mattel that pits a red and a blue fighter against each other, as you mash away at joysticks attached to the ring. Ryan Engle — best known for Rampage — is writing the script. A He-Man live-action adaptation has been in the works for a long time, with Netflix cancelling ‘Masters of the Universe‘ just last week. Mattel is still looking for a new buyer for He-Man though, which it believes has the potential to explode into a ‘mega-franchise’. The now-cancelled film was to be directed by Aaron and Adam Nee (The Lost City) and featured West Side Story’s Kyle Allen as the lead actor.

Tom Hanks (The Terminal) is set to appear as the Mattel astronaut figurine Major Matt Mason, who lived and worked on the moon, attracting screenwriters Akiva Goldsman (I, Robot) and Michael Chabon (Star Trek: Picard). Thanks to the ongoing writers’ strike in Hollywood, it will be a while before the production moves forward. The company is also planning a PG-13 thriller surrounding the Magic 8 Ball, which was used as a fortune-telling toy back in the 1950s. And if that wasn’t absurd enough already, Mattel will also make a movie based on the UNO card game, which is being written by Marcy Kelly.

Mattel doesn’t seem to be done with dolls yet and wants to explore an American Girl movie for its expansive ‘Mattelverse.’ As per Variety, the film will be a family comedy that’s aimed at helping young girls ‘grow with confidence and develop character.’ Even Thomas & Friends is getting a fantasy film adaptation, directed by Marc Forster, who rose to prominence with World War Z and Finding Neverland. Amidst this exhaustive list, Mattel is also adapting a true story for the screen. Titled ‘Christmas Balloon,’ the film follows a young girl, who tied her Christmas present list to a balloon and sent it up into the air, only to be found by a grieving couple who work with the toy company to make her wishes come true. Gabby Lugo (A Million Little Things) is attached to write the screenplay.

Here’s the entire list of movies Mattel has planned for the foreseeable future. Bear in mind that production might take some time, given the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strikes in Hollywood.

Barney — produced by and starring Daniel Kaluuya

Polly Pocket — from Lena Dunham, starring Lily Collins

Hot Wheels — produced by J.J. Abrams

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots — starring Vin Diesel

American Girl — a family comedy

Magic 8 Ball — a PG-13 thriller

Masters of the Universe — previously cancelled by Netflix

Major Matt Mason — from Akiva Goldsman and Michael Chabon, starring Tom Hanks

UNO — written by Marcy Kelly

Wishbone — produced by Peter Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber)

Matchbox — written by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill)

Thomas & Friends — from Marc Forster (World War Z)

View Master — an adventure film based on the classic picture-viewing toy

Christmas Balloon — from Gabby Lugo; based on a true story


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Mattel Launches NFT Marketplace on Flow, Hot Wheels NFT Garage Drop Announced

Mattel, the global toy company, has officially launched its digital collectibles marketplace a year after its first Hot Wheels non-fungible token (NFT) minting on the Ethereum network. In January 2022, Mattel’s Barbie released a ready-to-wear NFT collection in collaboration with Balmain, a luxury fashion brand. The current marketplace is built on the Flow blockchain and does not require users to own cryptocurrency to make purchases. This platform also enables owners of Hot Wheels Garage NFTs on the WAX blockchain to eventually transfer their tokens to Flow.

“In launching our own marketplace, we’re able to translate iconic Mattel IP into digital art, engaging directly with our customers,” said Ron Friedman, Vice President at Mattel Future Lab. “This is the latest evolution of our digital endeavors, and we look forward to sharing more drops soon inspired by some of the world’s favorite Mattel brands.”

The launch comes as NFT technology has faced uncertainty amid months of slumping sales and a crash in the cryptocurrency market triggered by the collapse of major exchange FTX. But Friedman said the brand remains focused on delivering a digital collectible that stands apart from market volatility and offers fans some form of real-world utility.

According to the company, the NFT marketplace is designed for “mainstream consumers,” and users don’t have to own crypto to make purchases.

Also, there are plans to integrate a “peer-to-peer trading platform that will allow collectors to trade their digital collectibles between them.” However, this integration will take place sometime in early 2023.

The marketplace is built on top of Flow, the blockchain that powers the NBA Top Shot platform.

Mattel focuses on producing goods such as games, dolls, and action figures. The company also owns the intellectual property (IP) rights to brands such as Hot Wheels, UNO, Fisher-Price, Barbie, and Matchbox.

Mattel plans to create NFTs for all these brands and has so far released collections for its Barbie and Hot Wheels franchises. The latter comprises artwork that features 60 cars from top brands such as Aston Martin, McLaren, and many others.

The NFTs will be grouped into packs, each consisting of seven hot wheels that go for $25 (roughly Rs. 2,000) per pack. And each pack will feature NFTs of varying rarities. The rarest can be redeemed for physical die-cast replicas.


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