VarietyreportsVin Diesel will star in a film based on the popular tabletop game Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.
The project is being produced by Mattel and Universal Pictures, as well as Diesel under his One Race Films banner. Ryan Engle, who previously penned the script for the Dwayne Johnson-led Rampage and The Commuter starring Liam Neeson, has already written the screenplay, which tells the story of a father (Diesel) and son who form an unlikely bond with an advanced war machine.
“To take the classic Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em game, with Mattel as my partner, and align it with the kind of world-building, franchise-making success we have had with Universal, is truly exciting,” Diesel said. Universal Pictures has backed every film in the Fast & Furious franchise.
The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em game becomes the latest Mattel property to be taken to the big screen. Other projects reportedly in the works include Barbie starring Margot Robbie and written by real-life couple, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and an action-heist comedy in which the card game Uno serves as the focal point that’s being developed by Lil Yachty.
Diesel can be seen next in F9, the ninth installment in the aforementioned Fast & Furious franchise, on June 25, 2021. The film was originally slated to hit theaters in the summer of 2020, but got pushed back a whole year due to pandemic. The franchise is expected to conclude with its 11th film, as Justin Lin has been tapped to direct the final two features.
