Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.

Release poster

***Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.*** is a 2027 American superhero film directed by David F. Sandberg. It is a live-action adaptation of the Cartoon Network animated television series *Generator Rex*, which is based on the comic *M. Rex*. The film stars Anthony Gonzalez, Randall Park, Christian Navarro, Ethan Hawke, with John DiMaggio reprising his role as the voice of Bobo Haha. The film follows teenager Rex Salazar (Gonzalez) as he is prompted to fight Mindwarp (Hawke) and help clear his family's name. *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Vertigo Entertainment in association with MSD Capital, Original Film and Project X Entertainment, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

A live-action *Generator Rex* film was announced in 2022, and Gonzalez was cast in the title role in May 2023. Most of the other lead cast members were hired throughout the rest of the year, and filming took place from August to December 2023 in Montreal, Canada. This film is set after the events of the animated original television series and was also the first film based on the Cartoon Network series.

*Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was released in the United States in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX, 4DX, and ScreenX formats on April 23, 2027, following several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was a box office success, grossing over $368 million worldwide, and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Sandberg's direction and the performances of Gonzalez, Park and Hawke, as well as its generally light tone and sense of fun. It won Best Movie at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

## Plot

After the events of *Endgame*, Rex, who now lives in Avalon City, Rochester, learns that a mysterious figure declares the Salazar family were the ones responsible for the Nanite event, and learns about the M.I.N.T. (Multiple Interpretations of Nanite Terrors), a business organization by Caesar. Rex must act quick to clear his family's name that they did it for the right reason, and save New York City from a new powerful enemy, named Mindwarp.

## Cast

* Anthony Gonzalez as Rex Salazar, a 16-year-old amnesiac EVO and the main protagonist from *Generator Rex*. He is Rafael and Violeta's second born son and Caesar's younger brother.
	+ Logan Nicholson as 12-year-old Rex
* Randall Park as Agent Six, a top agent of Providence and Rex's handler.
* Ethan Hawke as Dr. Cornelius Wilson, also known as Mindwarp and the main antagonist of the film.
	+ Bentley Hughes as young Cornelius
* Michael Peña as Rafael Salazar, a brilliant scientist who's Rex's late father.
* Eva Longoria as Violeta Salazar, a brilliant scientist who's Rex's late mother.
* Christian Navarro as Caesar Salazar, Rex's older brother and the recurring character of *Generator Rex* who serves as the CEO of the M.I.N.T. and is also Bethany’s boyfriend.
	+ Dorian Giordano as young Caesar
* Madeleine Stowe as Abuela, Caesar and Rex's adoptive grandmother.
* David Miranda as Pedro Salazar, Caesar and Rex's younger cousin. He is a new character for the film.
* Ryan Pekar as Federico, a teenage boy who is a childhood friend of Rex and a were-EVO.
* Lia McHugh as Circe, a teenage girl who was formerly an EVO and becomes Rex’s girlfriend.
* Gabriel Bateman as Tuck, a teenage boy who who was formerly an EVO and Rex’s good friend.
* Brandon Spink as Skwydd, a teenage boy who who was formerly an EVO and Rex’s good friend.
* Fina Strazza as Cricket, a teenage girl who was formerly an EVO and becomes Rex’s good friend.
* Kassius Marcil-Green as Ooze, an EVO. He is a new character for the film.
* Thomas Barbusca as Night Owl, an EVO. He is a new character for the film.
* Miles Brown as Cyclopsaurus, an EVO. He is a new character for the film.
* Isaak Presley as Pig Bird, an EVO. He is a new character for the film.
* Avantika Vandanapu as Hydra, an EVO. She is a new character for the film.
* Noah Schnapp as Sniper, an EVO. He is a new character for the film.
* Emerson Tate Alexander as Blossom Fly, an EVO. She is a new character for the film.
* Sylvia Hoeks as Dr. Rebecca Holiday, Providence's chief research officer.
* Odessa A’zion as Beverly Holiday, a former EVO and Rebecca's younger sister.
* Jack Champion as Robert Batston, a student at Avalon Central and a secret double agent for Mindwarp. He is a new character for the film.
* Mimi Kirkland as Sarah Wilkins, a fellow student at Avalon Central and another secret double agent for Mindwarp. She is a new character for the film.
* Maia Bastidas as Bethany Monroe, a teenage girl who works as a receptionist at the M.I.N.T. and is also Caesar’s girlfriend. She is a new character for the film.

The film also features Michael Keaton as White Knight, the former (now reinstated) leader of Providence. Director David F. Sandberg makes a cameo appearance providing the voice of the Providence security system. Sandberg's wife, actress Lotta Losten, portrays Ms. Sandra Ridley; a teacher at the children's school. Sasha Roiz was cast as Captain Calan, one of White Knight's most trusted agents. Richard Gere portrays Cornelius Wilson's estranged father of and CEO of Wilson Industries. Mark Brennan and Percy Hynes White portray Wayne Wilson, Cornelius' bullying brother as an adult and a teenager, respectively. Cameron Brodeur and Zachary Evrard portray Doug and Dennis Deacon, bullies at the children's school. Dany Boudreault portrays a pizza delivery guy. Simu Liu portrays one of the Providence agents. Jesse Noah Gruman and Tobias Grether-Murray portray Henry and Markie, Rex's classmates at the children's school. Soleyman Pierini portrays Keith the Magician, Rex's classmate and a talented magician at the children's school. Charles Dennis portrays Django, Rex's classmate at the children's school. Emilie Bierre and Nelianne Ouimet portray gossiping girls at the children's school. Renaud Lefebvre and Camille Penafiel portray Boris and Fran, pep rally pros at the children's school.

J. K. Simmons makes a cameo appearance performing as Detective Smith. Simmons previously voiced White Knight in the animated series *Generator Rex* (2010–13). Michelle Monaghan portrays Diane Farrah, the host of Ultimate Exposure. Gerard Butler appears as Van Kleiss in the film via flashback. Rachel Germaine was cast as Black Knight for the flashback scene of the film. Appearing in the film while uncredited, Vincent Leclerc appears as Mr. Buchiner, alongside Nelson Holland as Noah Nixon and Dylan Walsh as Jonathan, a fellow soccer player, and executive producer James Vanderbilt as a prison guard. Sound designer Bill R. Dean has an uncredited cameo, providing the voice for a Simon Says toy, while Mathieu Coderre, Ethan Hawke's stunt double, appears uncredited as a coffee shop clerk.

### Voice cast

* John DiMaggio as Bobo Haha, an EVO chimpanzee that works for Providence and speaks fluent human speech.
* Grey Griffin as ZAG-RS
* Fred Tatasciore as Providence Computer

## Production

### Development and pre-production

On October 18, 2022, a deal was struck for a live-action version of the television series to be made, with David F. Sandberg directing. Henry Gayden and Matthew Robinson were hired to pen a script. Roy Lee's Vertigo Entertainment was announced as producer, while James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein and William Sherak served as executive producers under Project X Entertainment.

### Casting

The film depicts a teenage version of Rex Salazar. It was issued an initial release date of August 9, 2024. In May 2023, Anthony Gonzalez was cast to play Rex. Randall Park began negotiations to join in June, and was confirmed to appear in July. Christian Navarro was cast to play Caesar Salazar. Eva Longoria and Michael Peña were cast as Rex's parents that August. Ethan Hawke also joined the cast of the film. In October, Madeleine Stowe was added to the cast, and in November, Ryan Pekar was set to play Rex's childhood friend Federico. In December 2023, Lia McHugh joined as Circe, and in March 2024, John DiMaggio announced that he had been cast, reprising his role as the voice of Bobo Haha.

### Filming

Principal photography for *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* began in Montreal and Gatineau, in Quebec, Canada on August 7, 2023, and wrapped by December 8, 2023. The film was set primarily in New York City. Most of the production was shot at MELS Studios, and also several public locations around the city, including the University of Montreal, Complexe Desjardins, and Riviere-des-Prairies Generating Station. In early October 2023, filming took place at Mount Royal Park in downtown Montreal. By early December 2023, Anthony Gonzalez, among other young cast members, had finished filming his part, and principal photography wrapped on December 15, 2023. Reshoots and additional photography took place in Montreal between June and July 2024. Scenes set at the New York Public Library, as well as other location work such as footage of the skyline and aerial shots, were filmed in New York City in July 2024. *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* had a production budget of $90–100 million (and about $102 million once post-production was complete), making it the most expensive Cartoon Network film to-date.

### Post-production

David F. Sandberg's four-time collaborator Michel Aller served as the editor for *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.*. Bruce Jones (*Shazam! Fury of the Gods*) and Daniel Mellitz (*Max Steel*) were the overall visual effects supervisors for the film. Technicolor's VFX studio Moving Picture Company (MPC) and DNEG provided visual effects. Cinesite, Luma Pictures, Mill Film, and Rise FX also worked on the VFX.

In March 2023, Warner Bros. adjusted its release schedule due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the workload of visual effects vendors. *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was moved from 2024 to 2025 to allow time for their visual effects work to be completed. In April, the film's release date was pushed back five days to December 26 to avoid competition with *Uncle Grandpa: The Movie*, another Cartoon Network movie. In August, the studio delayed the film to April 23, 2027 to help spread out the marketing and distribution costs for its feature films.

## Music

On March 18, 2023, Benjamin Wallfisch was announced as the composer for *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.*, marking his fourth collaboration with director David F. Sandberg after previously scoring Sandberg's *Lights Out*, *Annabelle: Creation* and *Shazam!*. By October 2023, it was revealed that Orange collaborated with Wallfisch on an instrumental version of the song "Revolution", for the film. According to the band's drummer James Bull, Orange worked on the film after Warner Bros. Pictures presidents Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy felt like *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was "the right fit" for a collaboration between Cartoon Network and Orange. De Luca and Abdy had been "always looking for the right match where there was a way that Orange could contribute to some Cartoon Network project".

In writing the score, Wallfisch stated that he was "picturing what might happen if a 16-year-old was put in front of a 100 piece orchestra and told there were no limits. I wanted the score to feel like it might have been written by an exuberant kid just having the time of his life with an orchestra." In March 2027, it was revealed by Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong during an interview with *KROQ* that he would be releasing a solo song as part of the *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* soundtrack. American singer Olivia Rodrigo released "Finally Falling" on April 2, by Geffen Records, as the lead single of the film's soundtrack. Armstrong's song, called "You Chose Me", was released on April 9, featuring Kailee Morgue.

## Marketing

In April 2026, a first look at *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was shown at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, as director David F. Sandberg introduced behind-the-scene footage. During an interview with the podcast Film Riot in June 2026, Sandberg stated that "On this one, it was just like 'Yeah, I want this to be a classic superhero movie.' It takes place in the spring, so it's a lot of dark exteriors, but with a lot of colorful lights and stuff around them." On July 22, 2026, the first teaser trailer was shown at San Diego Comic-Con during the Cartoon Network panel, with Sandberg, Anthony Gonzalez, Randall Park, and Christian Navarro in attendance. The trailer was later released online. It received a favorable response from journalists and audiences, who praised its humorous, zany tone.

On August 10, Airheads partnered with Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network to create commercials for the film. New footage from the film made its debut at Brazil Comic Con (CCXP) in São Paulo on December 6, 2026, during the Cartoon Network studio panel, with the footage described for the attendees as action-packed. A new trailer was released on February 1, 2027, and a three-minute sneak peek was included with the digital home media of *The Mao Mao Movie*. McFarlane Toys also partnered to create promotional toys, including action figures and dolls. At the STP 500 on March 14, 2027, *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was the primary sponsor of Aric Almirola and the #10 Ford Mustang in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Altogether the studios spent about $105 million promoting the film.

## Release

### Theatrical

On February 10, 2027, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that they were teaming up with Fandango for exclusive preview screenings on February 20, two weeks before release, on 1,200 select screens and 40 exhibition circuits. *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* premiered at TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on March 17, 2027, and was theatrically released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, IMAX, ScreenX, and IMAX 3D Formats, on April 23, 2027.

It was originally set for release on August 9, 2024 before being delayed to March 7, 2025, and then to September 5, 2025, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then moved up to April 18, 2025, as it was ready for release sooner than other Warner Bros. films delayed by the pandemic. The release date was pushed back five days to December 26 in April 2023 to avoid competing with fellow Cartoon Network film *Uncle Grandpa: The Movie*, before being moved to April 23, 2027 in August 2023 when Warner Bros. Discovery was trying to spread out marketing and distribution costs.

### Home media

*Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was released on premium video-on-demand services on May 14, 2027, ten days earlier than its scheduled May 24 release date. It was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on June 22, 2027. It began streaming on Max on the same day.

## Reception

### Box office

As of May 29, 2027, *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* has grossed $141.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $226.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $369 million. It was estimated that the film needed to gross $236–251 million worldwide in order to break even, and *Deadline Hollywood* calculated the film made a net profit of $75 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.

In the United States and Canada, *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* was released alongside *Monopoly* and *Friday Night Lights*, and was projected to gross $40–50 million from 4,260 theaters in its opening weekend. Two weeks before its release, the film grossed $4.4 million from Fandango advance screenings, higher than the $3.3 million made by the DCEU film *Shazam!* the previous year of 2019. It then made $6 million from Thursday night screenings on April 22, for a combined preview total of $10.3 million. The film grossed a total of $21.5 million on its first day, including Thursday previews but not the March screenings. It went on to debut to $54.6 million, finishing first at the box office. In its second weekend the film made $25.6 million, retaining the top spot, before being dethroned by newcomer *The Adventures of Tintin: Red Rackham's Treasure* in its third weekend. In its fourth weekend, it made $6.7 million and finished fifth at the box office.

In other territories, the film was released in 53 markets on Wednesday, April 21 and Thursday, April 22, and was projected to debut to $100–120 million, for a global opening of $145–170. In its first two days of international release the film made $16.8 million, finishing first in 48 of its 53 markets. It was then released in an additional 26 countries, including China, where it made $17.5 million on its first day. It went on to have an international debut of $103 million, and a global total of $159.7 million. It came in first in 60 of its 79 markets, with its highest-grossing being China ($44.5 million), Mexico ($11.7 million), Australia ($11.4 million), the United Kingdom ($16.4 million), Russia ($9.5 million), and Brazil ($9.8 million).

### Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% with an average rating of 7.3/10, based on 420 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre's real power: spectaculous teamwork." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 79% positive score, with 59% saying they would definitely recommend it.

### Accolades

Accolades received by *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.*
 Best Movie
 Best Song

## Gallery

*Main article: Generator Rex: M.I.N.T./Gallery*
## Trivia

* This is the first ever feature film of the series.
* This is the first live-action *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* movie to hit theaters.
	+ This is also the first ever *Generator Rex: M.I.N.T.* movie in general to hit theaters.
* This is Cartoon Network's fourteenth original movie to be released theatrically, after *The Powerpuff Girls Movie*, which was released in 2002, *Regular Show: The Movie*, which was released in 2015, *Teen Titans Go! To the Movies*, which was released in 2018, *Clarence's Big Break* and *A Foster's Movie: Imagination Desolation*, which were both released in 2021, *Billy & Mandy The Movie: The Quest of the Diamonds* and *The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie*, which were both released in 2022, *OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe*, which was released in 2023, *Driftwood*, which was released in 2025, *Victor & Valentino: The Movie* and *The Secret Saturdays: From the Beyond*, which were released in 2026, and *Villainous: The First Evil Movie*, which was released in this year.
* John DiMaggio reprise his role as Bobo Haha from Generator Rex (2010).
* Randall Park (*Robot Chicken*, *Hot Streets*, *Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart*, *Adventure Time: Distant Lands* and *Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai*), Thomas Barbusca (*Clarence*) and Ethan Hawke (*Batwheels*) have all starred in other Cartoon Network projects.
* Dr. Cornelius Wilson, Pedro Salazar, Ooze, Night Owl, Cyclopsaurus, Pig Bird, Hydra, Sniper, Blossom Fly, Robert Batston, Sarah Wilkins and Bethany Monroe do not appear in the comics. They are original characters created for the film.
* The film takes place in New York City, but was mostly filmed in Montreal.
* This is the first film David F. Sandberg worked on that is aimed at a family-oriented audience.
* The teen actors were de-aged in the film using a new generative AI-driven tool dubbed Metaphysic Live, the fourth time ever in a family film.
* This was the second pairing of Michael Peña and Eva Longoria.
* This is the third Cartoon Network Studios film to be produced in 2.39:1 (21:9) aspect ratio, after Finally Seen (2025) and The Secret Saturdays: From the Beyond (2026).
* On a production budget of $90–100 million, principal photography began on August 7, 2023, in Montreal, Canada.
* This is Jack Champion's second villain role in a theatrical film.
* Grey Griffin and Fred Tatasciore reprise their roles as the ZAG-RS and Providence Computer from Generator Rex (2010).
* This is Thomas Barbusca's second contribution to Cartoon Network.
* The main musical theme during the opening is an instrumental version of American pop punk band Orange's "Revolution". It can be also be heard variously throughout the movie.
* The movie is set in Manhattan, hence as a homage to *Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United*.
* This is one of the cheapest films in Cartoon Network's history, with a production budget of $90-102 million.
* Avalon Central High School is named after Avalon Comics, the company that originally created the Rex character in 1999.
* Generator Rex: M.I.N.T. was shot between August and December 2023 when Ryan Pekar (playing Federico), at the beginning of shooting had turned 18 only months before. During the four month period of the filming, his voice changed and there are scenes at the beginning of the movie when his voice is high and then in other shots in the same high school scene sequence, his voice was noticeably deeper in later re-shoots.
* The second collaboration between Gabriel Bateman, and director David F. Sandberg following Lights Out (2016).
* David F. Sandberg's favourite scene in the film is the robbery.
* Ethan Hawke, Jack Champion, Fina Strazza and Lia McHugh all share their birthdays in the same month (November).
* According to the filmmakers, Avalon City was made a suburb of Rochester.
* Randall Park (Agent Six), Michael Peña (Rafael Salazar), Lia McHugh (Circe), Simu Liu (Providence Agent) and Michael Keaton (White Knight) work in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Ant-Man (2015), Eternals (2021), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), all from the MCU, a Marvel franchise.
* Avantika Vandanapu's second Cartoon Network movie role after Kavi Sharma: An American Girl (2026).
* Lotta Losten, who plays Ms. Sandra Ridley, is married to director David F. Sandberg.
* Although this film has a Spring setting, it was filmed in August.
* Ethan Hawke was openly enthusiastic about playing Mindwarp, describing him as an "evil mastermind" and stating that those roles are "always fun to play".
* The Simon Says toy's voice is provided by the film's sound editor Bill R. Dean.
* Isaak Presley plays Pig Bird who transforms into an EVO. Isaak guest-starred alongside Mimi Kirkland in Austin & Ally (2011), and Mimi plays Sarah Wilkins, a student at Avalon Central who is also a secret double agent for Mindwarp.
* Very similar plot to Scream VI (2023) which also starred Jack Champion.
* Kassius Marcil-Green and Noah Schnapp, who portray Ooze and Sniper, are LGBTQ+ like their characters.
* Patrick Sabongui also appeared in the Cartoon Network original series Level Up (2012).
* This movie marks the live-action debut of the characters from Generator Rex (2010).
* David F. Sandberg: Appears as the voice of the Providence security system and bus radio announcer.
* Before the teaser trailer was released, Deadline reported that the film will be rated PG by the MPA.

## Transcripts

### Main Transcript

*Main article: Generator Rex: M.I.N.T./Transcript*
### Trailer transcripts

*Main article: Generator Rex: M.I.N.T./Trailer transcripts*
## Credits

*Main article: Generator Rex: M.I.N.T./Credits*