Hot Wheels is latest Mattel IP heading for the big screen

Mattel and Warner Bros. Pictures have announced that J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot will produce Hot Wheels, a live-action motion picture featuring the iconic toy racing car.

“As the global leader in car culture, Hot Wheels has been igniting the challenger spirit in auto enthusiasts for generations,” says Robbie Brenner, Executive Producer, Mattel Films. “Fans of all ages are now in for the ride of their lives with the incredible talent of J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot joining us alongside Warner Bros. Pictures to transform Hot Wheels’ legendary IP into a thrilling story for the big screen.”

Hot Wheels is the #1 selling toy in the world, with over 8 billion vehicles sold. The franchise has proven its influence through unparalleled collaborations with global leaders in automotive, streetwear, fashion, luxury, entertainment, gaming, action sports and motorsports.

“Growing up, Hot Wheels were more than just cars, they were vehicles for our imaginations,” says Peter Dodd, Vice President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. “Today, we at Warner Bros. are thrilled to bring that imagination to the big screen with Robbie Brenner and the creative team at Mattel along with the ingenious minds of J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella and the team at Bad Robot.”

Hannah Minghella, Bad Robot’s President of Motion Pictures, adds: “Before Hot Wheels became the global household name it is today, it was the dream of Elliot Handler, who was inventing and building toy cars at home in his Southern California garage. It’s that imagination, passion, and risk-taking spirit that we want to capture in this film.”

Kevin McKeon, Vice President, and Andrew Scannell, Creative Executive, will lead the project for Mattel Films. Peter Dodd will lead the project for Warner Bros. Pictures. Hannah Minghella and Jon Cohen will oversee for Bad Robot.Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures are also partners on the upcoming motion picture, Barbie. Now in principal photography, the film is targeted for theatrical release in 2023. The film stars and is produced by Margot Robbie under her Lucky Chap Entertainment banner and directed by Greta Gerwig, who also wrote the screenplay alongside her husband Noah Baumbach.

In addition to Hot Wheels, the Mattel Films development slate features movies based on American Girl, Barbie, Barney, Magic 8 Ball, Major Matt Mason, Masters of the Universe, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, UNO, View Master, and Wishbone. Mattel Films is also developing Christmas Balloon, based on all-new IP.

Terra Virtua lands digital collectables deal with Warner Bros for Godzilla vs Kong

A pioneer of the immersive collectables platform, Terra Virtua, has landed a new licensing agreement with Legendary Entertainment to create a line of digital collectables based on Warner Bros Pictures and Pegendary’s upcoming Godzilla vs Kong.

The new partnership will allow fans across the world to bring the titans to life in full 3D virtual reality through a platform that will allow them to experience the brute strength of Kong and the behemoth Godzilla. The Titans and other characters from the franchise will being rolling out on to the Terra Virtua marketplace in time for the film’s release this March 31st.

The collaboration between Terra Virtua and Legendary first began in 2019 with the launch of digital collectables based on Legendary Television and Netflix’s reboot of the science fiction classic Lost in Space and continued with a collection based on the blockbuster film Pacific Rim Uprising.

Terra Virtua’s marketplace includes a number of digital collectibles, featuring characters from both Season One and Season Two of Lost in Space, along with full-size and fully animated versions of Pacific Rim Uprising’s Jaegers, including Gypsy Avenger. One such Jaeger sold on New Year’s Day for $5000 and now resides in a superfan’s TerraDome, which is accessible via Terra Virtua’s app on a PC.

“Digital collectibles allow fans to interact with their favorite characters in a way never experienced before, and to be working with the pioneers in the industry is truly exciting,” said Sam Rappaport, director of Interactive Media at Legendary Entertainment.

Directed by Adam Wingard, Godzilla vs. Kong is the long-awaited face-off between these two mighty titans, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. With spectacular fight scenes and an unforeseen force drawing them together, it’s the ultimate showdown and therefore the ideal opportunity to be  bringing these Legendary monsters into the Terra Virtua ecosystem.

“This franchise is one of the most recognizable brands in the world; these characters have been on our screens for over 88 years; so to say we’re excited about bringing this film pairing on board would be an understatement,” said Gary Bracey, co-founder of Terra Virtua.

“And, what’s more exciting is that we’re also releasing a full VR experience on Oculus Quest, so when we say we’re fully immersive, we really mean it.”

Terra Virtua (www.terravirtua.io), with global headquarters in London, England, has evolved the digital collectibles market from simply collecting virtual items to completing and showcasing collections through new, interactive and immersive experiences.

Fortnite partners with Warner Bros. Pictures to screen movies in its gaming world

The global video gaming franchise Fortnite has found yet another means to captivate its audiences and pull in all of the headlines at the same time, thanks to a newly forged deal with leading content owners that will allow it to screen films to players through an in-world cinema feature.

Yes, it’s an entertainment system within an entertainment system, making it wonderfully poetic that among the first films to be screened when the Epic-published games begins testing its ‘Movie Nite’ feature this Friday, will be Christopher Nolan’s Inception. It will be joined by Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Prestige.

Players will be able to watch one of the three Nolan films – all owned by WarnerMedia’s Warner Bros. Pictures – all while inside the Fortnite world.

What players will be able to watch will depend on the territory they are in. Players in Germany will be shown The Prestige, while those in France can sit back and enjoy a screening of Batman Begins.

The limitations to the test roll-out of the feature have been addressed by Epic who said that “navigating distribution rights for different countries and languages for full movies is challenging.”

“As part of this first test, we wanted as many people to experience Movie Nite as possible. The film you’ll be able to watch will depend on your country, and unfortunately we couldn’t reach everyone with these screenings,” the company stated.

“We believe the idea of getting together with your friends and family at Party Royale to watch a movie is powerful and exciting, and we’re looking at ways to increase global participation in the future.”

Like cinema screenings in the real life, the Movie Nite screenings will not be able to be broadcast – or live streamed – on platforms like Twitch.