Untitled Hot Wheels film

## Production

### Development

In January 2003, Columbia Pictures announced they had gained exclusive rights to develop a feature film based on the *Hot Wheels* toy line with McG attached to direct. In 2006, McG said that he dropped out as director and chose to produce instead. Unwritten, the premise involved a young man "trying to reconcile with his father. It's a kid who steals his dad's racecar and ends up going through a sort of *Back to the Future* portal into this world, and he has to reconcile his relationship with his father."

In 2009, it was announced that Joel Silver had replaced McG as producer, and the script was being penned by Matt Nix. Silver was developing the film through his film company Silver Pictures. The project was eventually put to a hault after *Speed Racer*, a film that Silver produced, bombed at the box-office. Producers such as Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Joe Roth expressed interest in producing the film, but that never occurred.

In June 2011, Mattel was in negotiations of making the film with Legendary and Warner Bros. since they were not only interested in the property but had an existing relationship with the together. The film was announced to not be targeted at children, but be edgy in a sense that it was emulating off the success of the film *Fast Five*.

In July 2013, Simon Crane and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo were named as the frontrunners to direct the film, with Art Marcum and Matt Holloway writing the film, intended to be more *Mission: Impossible* than *The Fast and the Furious*. In October 2013, it was announced that Paul Attanasio would rewrite a draft of the film from the previous script by Marcum and Holloway. In September 2016, Justin Lin signed on to direct the film, with it now being produced through his production company Perfect Storm Entertainment. The option expired with Legendary to produce the film and Mattel took the rights back.

In late January 2019, Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures agreed to partner on a Hot Wheels film. It was announced on September 25, 2020 by *The Hollywood Reporter* that Warner Bros has hired Neil Widener and Gavin James to write the film. On April 25, 2022, it was announced that J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot will produce the film.

On Januar 23, 2023, it was announced that Dalton Leeb and Nicholas Jacobson-Larson had been hired to write the film. Robbie Brenner was announced to lead the project alongside Kevin McKeon and creative executive Andrew Scannell for Mattel Films, Hannah Minghella and Jon Cohen were announced to oversee the film for Bad Robot and Peter Dodd was announced to oversee the film for Warner Bros.

## References

1. ↑ McG to Direct Hot Wheels Movie
2. ↑ Exclusive: We Are Marshall Director McG!
3. ↑ Hot Wheels Movie Buzz
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Legendary driving for Hot Wheels pic
5. ↑ Hot Wheels On Track Again
6. ↑ Legendary Wants To Make A 'Hot Wheels' Movie
7. ↑ Legendary Pictures Developing an Edgy 'Hot Wheels' Movie
8. ↑ ‘Hot Wheels’ Director Search Nearing Finish Line (Exclusive)
9. ↑ Legendary Revs Up ‘Hot Wheels’ With Simon Crane and Paul Attanasio
10. ↑ ‘Star Trek Beyond’ Director Justin Lin Tackling ‘Hot Wheels’ for Legendary (Exclusive)
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 ‘Hot Wheels’ Live-Action Movie in the Works With Mattel, Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)
12. ↑ ‘Hot Wheels’ Movie Finds Its Writers (Exclusive)
13. ↑ J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot To Produce Live-Action ‘Hot Wheels’ Film For Mattel & Warner Bros.
14. ↑ ‘Hot Wheels’: Mattel-Warner Bros-Bad Robot Pic Revving Up With Scribes Dalton Leeb & Nicholas Jacobson-Larson January 23, 2023 Retrieved February 1, 2023