John Cena's 'Matchbox the Movie,' Mattel's Follow-Up to 'Barbie,' Hits Apple TV

While he'll always be best known for his work as a WWE icon, John Cena has carved out quite a career for himself as one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood. Cena's career began with older action thrillers like The Marine, but he's now settled into more complex roles like that of Christopher Smith in Peacemaker, the hit DCU series developed by James Gunn. Cena can also be seen in the Fast & Furious franchise starring as Jakob, the long-lost brother of Dom Toretto (played by Vin Diesel), but his role in the eleventh and final F&F movie is up in the air right now. He did team up with Idris Elba last year for one of the most-watched movies on Prime Video, Heads of State, which was in the top 10 as recently as a few months ago.

After his WWE swan song last year, John Cena is now free to focus on his Hollywood career and his many other career interests, but he's moving full steam ahead as a massive action star. Cena's next action movie is set to be released this weekend, when he storms the Apple TV streaming platform to star in Matchbox the Movie, a movie born out of the Mattel boom created by Barbie. John Cena is the headlining star of Matchbox the Movie, but the supporting ensemble is built out by some other notable stars, including Sam Richardson, Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Teyonah Parris, and Danai Gurira. Matt Westbrook served as a story consultant on Matchbox the Movie and David Coggeshall penned the script with Sam Hargrave, director of Chris Hemsworth's Extraction movies, directing.

What Is 'Matchbox the Movie' About?

Matchbox the Movie may be a film inspired by the success of Barbie a few years ago, but fans can expect it to be a bit more grounded than Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's 2023 blockbuster. The movie follows an unassuming group of friends who have been close since childhood and have their lives upended when their long-absent leader, undercover CIA agent Sean (played by John Cena), returns to their small town. His return sets off a chain of events that finds the entire group embroiled in a global conspiracy with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance.