Matchbox Movie Director Sam Hargrave Discusses Real Stunts

John Cena is preparing to release an action-comedy filled with fast cars and famous movie stars. He is taking a break from the Toretto family for an entirely different franchise in Matchbox: The Movie.

This film is inspired by the Mattel toyline of miniature cars. Director Sam Hargrave enjoyed making the project.

I really wanted to lean into the practical side of things and see real people driving real cars doing real stunts.

For Polygon’s 2026 Fall Preview, we connected with Sam Hargrave over email to ask seven questions about Matchbox.

What is the ethos of a Matchbox movie?

It is easy to throw together John Cena, cars, and explosions, but Sam Hargrave explained what makes the project feel authentic.

To me, the ethos of a Matchbox movie is embracing your inner child, saying yes to adventure, and thinking ‘inside the box’ as we liked to say on set. This was my chance to make a throwback movie, something that felt like a 90’s action film, a way to tip my cap to many of the master filmmakers who paved the way and inspired me as a kid and budding storyteller.

What excited you initially about this movie?

What excited me most about this movie was the story; the chance to flex my comedic muscles a little bit and tell a really tender story about love and friendship, all wrapped up in huge action movie spectacle. I have always loved matchbox cars and to get to play with them in real life, and full size, was an incredible honor.

What does John Cena bring to the lead role?

John Cena has become an action-comedy star in Hollywood, and Sam Hargrave discussed what the wrestler-turned-actor brings to the character of Sean.

John Cena brings a level of charm, charisma, wit and action prowess to the screen with the character of Sean that I don’t think audiences have ever seen before from Cena. It was really great to be a part of. He is an incredible collaborator. He’s early every day and his first words are, ‘How can I be useful today?’ He’s been a fan of Matchbox cars his whole life and is a serious car enthusiast, so he jumped at the chance to join us. We had some discussions early on about how much I was going to ask of him every day and he never backed down from the challenge. We pushed each other on set to be the best version of ourselves and I’m grateful for that relationship. We became friends and it was an honor and privilege to work with him. Hopefully we can do it again soon.

What did you learn from Extraction that you’re bringing to Matchbox?

Sam Hargrave directed Netflix’s Extraction films, and he is applying those lessons to Matchbox alongside a dose of comedy.

Working in the Extraction world has taught me so many things about making movies, about action, working with actors, finding the right crew, managing money, time, etc. All things that as a filmmaker you learn with time and experience. I will be bringing more comedy to the screen this time, getting to flex that muscle a bit more, which I really enjoyed doing. Comedy was a huge inspiration of mine growing up so I was able to run with those instincts a bit more with a film like this.

How have car stunts evolved over the last 20 years?

Sam Hargrave noted how safety precautions and visual effects have advanced, though he wanted to prioritize practical stunts for this film.

Safety precautions have improved and visual effects allow us to incorporate more of those elements that we can later remove in post. Though, for this film, I really wanted to lean into the practical side of things and see real people driving real cars doing real stunts.

This led to real moments happening on set.

When you see a car roll over 14 times in the film, that is a real car, driven by a real stunt driver. When you see a helicopter fly under an underpass that was done for real. When we sent a semi-truck and trailer off of a 200-foot bridge, we did it for real! That methodology was very innovative and our special effects team incorporated remote driving technology to allow them to drive the truck off a bridge, from behind the cameras via a remote system. So, we got the best of both worlds — no one was hurt and, as an audience, we get to experience a real, full-sized semi-truck and trailer sailing off a 200-foot tall bridge. Incredible to witness.

Do you feel a lot of pressure to repeat the success of Barbie?

After Barbie became a success in 2023, Mattel announced toy-to-movie adaptations, with Matchbox arriving first.

I actually don’t feel pressure because Barbie is its own thing. It was a great movie and cultural phenomenon based on a HUGELY successful toy. Matchbox also is its own thing. It’s more loosely based on the toys than the Barbie movie was and it has a very nostalgic element that I think fans of action films will appreciate. It’s kind of like a love letter to action movies from the 90s in a way. It is a very different movie than Barbie for sure. There are probably more laughs than people will be expecting. It’s a fun adventure of a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Did you have a bunch of Matchbox cars as a kid?

Sam Hargrave used the toys long before directing the film.

I did have Matchbox cars as a kid. I had a black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that I loved. Among many others. Interestingly enough, I used Matchbox cars all the time as a stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director. We carried them in our kit and anytime we were explaining a car sequence to the crew, out came the cars and we would demonstrate what was going to happen to the cast and crew. It was super useful and so awesome to get to use that SAME technique while on the set of a Matchbox movie!

Source: Polygon