J.J. Abrams' Hot Wheels Movie to Be Emotional and Grounded and Gritty

While the Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie is set to hit theaters in just a few weeks, it's not the only movie based on beloved Mattel toys looking to race into theaters. A live-action Hot Wheels movie is in the works with Warner Bros. Pictures and J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions. The film — which was first announced in 2019 — is still in development, but it sounds like it is going to be far from a kid's movie. A recent investor presentation offered up new details about a variety of Mattel projects with Hot Wheels being described as being "emotional and grounded and gritty".

"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," Abrams said in a video at the presentation (via New Yorker). "Then we came up with something . . .  emotional and grounded and gritty."

The Hot Wheels Movie Landed New Writers Earlier This Year

While the Hot Wheels movie doesn't yet have a script, the film did land new writers earlier this year. Back in January it was reported that screenwriters Dalton Leeb and Nicholas Jacobson-Larson, who sold their original sci-fi script Endurance to Netflix and wrote The Fall for Amblin, had signed on to write Hot Wheels.

Another Mattel Movie is Also Set to Have a More Grown-Up Tone

While Hot Wheels is still in development, it also isn't the only Mattel movie that is set to have a more adult-geared tone. The Barney movie, which is set to star Nope and Black Panther's Daniel Kaluuya, will also be geared more for adults. Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon told the New Yorker that the film will tap into millennial angst and be geared much more towards adults rather than children.

"We're leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids," McKeon said. "It's really a play for adults. Not that it's R-rated, but it'll focus on some of the trials and tribulations of being thirtysomething, growing up with Barney — just the level of disenchantment within the generation."

Do We Know More About the Barney Movie?

Right now, we don't know a lot about the Barney movie either — McKeon said that they are selling the film to prospective partners as "an A24-type film". The project was first announced back in 2019 with Mattel partnering with Kaluuya's 59% production banner for the film.  Mattel will co-produce with Kaluuya and 59%'s Rowan Riley and Amandla Crichlow along with Vaparaiso's David Carrico, Adam Paulsen, and Bobby Hoppey. Kevin McKeon will oversee the project for Mattel.

"Working with Daniel Kaluuya will enable us to take a completely new approach to Barney that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations," said Robbie Brenner of Mattel Films. "The project will speak to the nostalgia of the brand in a way that will resonate with adults, while entertaining today's kids."

"Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood," said Kaluuya and 59% in a statement. "We're excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of 'I love you, you love me' can stand the test of time."

The Hot Wheels movie does not yet have a release date. Barbie will open in theaters on July 21st.