Dump the Toy Box! 14 Upcoming Movies Based on Mattel Toys

With Barbie well on its way to earning a billion dollars at the box office, the chatter about a sequel has become a low hum. But Mattel, the toy company behind the Barbie doll and Greta Gerwig's hit movie, is not limiting itself to the Barbie cinematic universe (We'll go ahead and call it the BCU). They have their eyes on a much bigger prize: an empire of toy movies.

“Successful movies lend themselves to more movies," Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz recently told Variety. "Our ambition is to create film franchises.” That's "franchises" plural, and the toymaker has wasted no time lining up a full slate of new projects. According to IMDb, Mattel Films, the movie branch of the company, has 14 films in the works. While movies based on American Girl dolls, Barney and even Thomas the Tank Engine make perfect sense, others, like an Uno movie, are more head-scratchers. Here's a complete list of Mattel's upcoming film projects and the details we know about them:

Related: Will There Be a Barbie Movie Sequel? Here's Everything We Know About Barbie 2

Mattel's Upcoming Toy Movies

1. American Girl Doll

With more than 14 American Girl movies already out, it makes sense that Mattel would dip back into this well as it seeks to build franchises. According to Variety the upcoming movie will be "a family comedy...based on the world of dolls," which sounds a little different than the previous films which were based on the book characters that inspired the dolls. MGM is attached as a producer, but no other details have been released.

2. Barney

Seeing as Barney & Friends was a hit TV show before the giant purple dinosaur became a toy, it also makes sense to give him the big-screen treatment. However, the movie has been described as an "A24 Type" surrealist film similar to Being John Malkovich or Adaptation. It's also being produced by Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya and written by Beef's Lee Sung Jin. This seems quite a departure from the friendly dinosaur singing about shapes, but also promising in an odd sort of way.

Related: Is Barbie a Kids Movie? 

3. Christmas Balloon

If you're thinking, "I've never heard of this toy," that's because this movie isn't based on a specific toy. The new movie will be based on a true story that involved a little girl in a Mexican border town tying her Christmas list to a helium ballon in the hope that it will reach Santa. A couple in southern Arizona found the balloon, tracked down the family fulfilled the girl's wish list. “Much like Dáyami’s balloon itself, the journey of this touching story and Mattel’s direct role in fulfilling her real-life wishes made it a must-do for us,” said Kevin McKeon, VP of Mattel Films. “We were immediately struck by this little girl’s spirit and the story’s positive message." It's got some schmaltzy Hallmark Channel energy and is being written by Gabby Revilla Lugo, who wrote for A Million Little Things.

4. Hot Wheels

In something akin to the Fast and Furious series, Mattel has teamed up with Warner Bros. (the studio behind Barbie) to launch a live-action movie based on the tiny toy cars. With multiple writers and producers attached, including J.J. Abrams, the Hot Wheels movie has plenty of promise to be a fun action adventure.

5. Magic 8 Ball

We know VERY little about this movie, which doesn't even have an IMDb page yet. It's been reported that the film will be a horror comedy with Cocaine Bear's writer Jimmy Warden attached. We asked our Magic 8 Ball whether this movie was a good idea: "Better not tell you now."

6. Major Matt Mason

Major Matt Mason was Mattel's answer to Hasbro's G.I. Joe. The astronaut action figure was introduced in 1966 and developed a small-but-loyal following. A movie based on the toy has been batted around since as early as 2011. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and acclaimed novelist Michael Chabon are attached to write the movie which will star Tom Hanks, who'll be returning to his Apollo 13 roots. Plot detail are slim aside from a presumed visit to the moon.

Related: All of Margot Robbie's 'Barbie' Press Tour Outfits, and the Barbie Looks That Inspired Them

7. Masters of the Universe

A movie based on the popular '80s series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has been in the works for quite some time and was recently dropped by Netflix. Mattel, however, is determined to keep the project moving forward and has enlisted the Nee brothers (Band of Robbers, The Lost City) as directors. Kyle Allen has also been cast as He-Man.

8. Matchbox

With Hot Wheels already in its toy garage, Mattel, in 1997, decided to corner the miniature car market with by buying its main competitor Matchbox. Fast-forward 26 years and the toymaker appears to be staging another face-off: Standalone movies featuring the once-competing toy car brands. Orphan: First Kill's David Coggeshall is writing the Matchbox script.

9. Polly Pocket

Barbie's tinier counterpart will also be getting her own movie in the near future. Girls' Lena Dunham is attached to write and direct the film with Emily in Paris' Lily James set to star in the titular role. While many online are poo pooing the choice of Lena Dunham, this may be a perfect choice, especially given how heartfelt her version of Catherine Called Birdy was last year.

10. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots

Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel may seem like a more natural fit for the Hot Wheels or Matchbox franchises but he'll be trading in high-speed chases for adrenaline-fueled boxing matches in the upcoming movie inspired by the classic boxing toy. The movie was announced in 2021 but we still don't know too much about the plot. In addition to starring, Diesel will also produce with a script by Rampage's Ryan Engle.

11. Thomas the Tank Engine

Marc Forster, the man behind World War Z, is set to direct a movie inspired by the Thomas the Tank Engine toys. The toys themselves are an offshoot of the TV series Thomas & Friends and spinoff Shining Time Station that was inspired by the classic British Railway Series of books by Wilbert and Christopher Awdry. The pairing seems a bit odd for a franchise with a legacy that dates to the 1940s, but perhaps he'll run the anthropomorphised train to an all new, not-so-kiddie-centric station. No stars are yet attached. Fingers crossed they convince Ringo Starr to reprise his role as Mr. Conductor.

12. Uno

We've seen card games, usually poker, as the basis for movies, but a children's game that's basically matching colors and numbers seems like unusual fodder for a feature-length film. Maybe they'll use a variation like Uno Attack and have the game come to life and attempt to take over the world—or the family home. Wild speculation aside, the only thing we know for sure at this point is that Marcy Kelly is writing the script.

13. View Master

Although most people probably think of the View Master as a viewing toy for cartoon slides (Remember Bambi, Mickey and The Lion King?), the company and the product date to the 1930s and even saw action during World War II. (The U.S. military reportedly bought 100,000 viewers and nearly six million reels!) We don't yet have any details on the planned movie but with such a rich history, a writer could take the movie in many different directions. Maybe even something similar to Jumanji where people get sucked into the pictures?

14. Wishbone

Mattel isn't digging too deep into the archives for this one. Wishbone will be based on the short-lived PBS series from the '90s about a Jack Russell Terrier named you guessed it, Wishbone. Peter Farrelly, who directed Green Book, is attached as a producer and there are several writers working on the script.

Related: All of Margot Robbie's 'Barbie' Press Tour Outfits, and the Barbie Looks That Inspired Them