Apple’s action film based on Mattel’s Matchbox toy cars has had its world premiere in New York. Matchbox The Movie, starring John Cena and Jessica Biel, debuts globally on Apple TV on October 9.

The toy cars have become a movie. Matchbox The Movie, an action film from Apple Original Films starring John Cena, held its world premiere at AMC Lincoln Square in New York this week, Apple said. It premieres globally on Apple TV on Friday, October 9, 2026.

Who Was There

Apple said the premiere was attended by Cena and his co-stars Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris and Arturo Castro, along with the younger cast members Graham Harvey, Reagan Marum, Aiden Stoxx, Braxton Paul and Max Fox. Producers Jules Daly and Robbie Brenner and writer David Coggeshall were also present.

The Plot

Apple describes the film as a globe-trotting adventure about a group of friends since childhood whose lives are upended when Sean, played by Cena, returns to their small town. Sean, their long-absent former leader, is an undercover CIA agent, and he unwittingly drags them into a frantic international pursuit to save the world.

Who Made It

The film is directed and executive produced by Sam Hargrave and written by David Coggeshall. It comes from Skydance Media and Mattel Films.

David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger produce for Skydance, and Robbie Brenner and Ynon Kreiz for Mattel Films. Jules Daly is also a producer, with Patrick Newall and Elizabeth Bassin as executive producers.

A Film With Timely Credits

Two of those producers were in the news for a different reason this week. Ellison is chairman and chief executive of the newly enlarged Skydance, which completed its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6. Kreiz, the former Mattel chief executive, has been named its co-CEO, according to Reuters.

Apple’s announcement describes the film as inspired by the Mattel toys.

Biel, meanwhile, is at the centre of a separate story this week after Hugh Hefner’s widow publicly asked her to reconsider a role in the upcoming film Playmates.

Image: John Cena at San Diego Comic-Con, 2025. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.