Entertainment
Mattel Officially Announces New Hot Wheels and Uno Adaptations
Venerable toymaker Mattel is having a big year. Masters of the Universe hit theaters earlier this summer, and is currently dominating the streaming charts, while Matchbox: The Movie, based on their toy car line, is speeding on to Apple TV this fall. Now, the El Segundo-based company is launching a new initiative that will bring their universe of brands to life like never before.
Mattel was founded in 1945 by businessman Harold “Matt” Mattson and husband-and-wife duo Elliot and Ruth Handler; Mattel is a portmanteau of “Mattson” and “Elliot.” The company launched its signature brand in 1959 when Ruth invented Barbie. Elliot, wanting to find a product that would appeal to boys the same way Barbie appealed to girls, invented Hot Wheels in 1968. The company has since acquired other toymakers, including Fisher-Price and Tyco, and still thrives to this day. It has recently acquired the licence to make action figures based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and DC Comics.
Mattel’s latest venture is Mattel Game Studios, which will develop and create video games based on Mattel’s vast stores of intellectual property. The new company will employ nearly 300 artists, designers, engineers, live operations specialists, and producers in Los Angeles and Hangzhou, China. The company launched earlier this year with Skeletor: Until Next Time, an endless runner mobile game based around the iconic Masters of the Universe villain. Next up is UNO Wild, a game based on the iconic (and often infuriating) card game, while a Hot Wheels game is in development. Mattel Games Studios is under the aegis of Mattel Digital Studios, which also handles the games Mattel licenses out to other publishers; upcoming games on their slate include Barbie Rewind, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, and Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction.
What Mattel Movies Are in Development?
With Matchbox headed to Apple TV in October, Mattel’s other iconic miniature car brand, Hot Wheels, has a movie in the works as well: Jon M. Chu (Wicked) is slated to direct, with J.J. Abrams producing. Illumination, the animation studio behind Minions and Super Mario, is developing an animated Barbie movie; meanwhile, a live-action sequel to the 2023 megahit Barbie remains on the drawing board, as well. A whole toy box of other Mattel properties have movies in the works, including Polly Pocket, Major Matt Mason, American Girl, and Monster High.
Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
- Release Date
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July 21, 2023
- Runtime
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114 minutes
- Producers
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David Heyman, Robbie Brenner, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley
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