John Cena spent much of his childhood playing with Matchbox cars, so when the chance came to hit the gas in “Matchbox: The Movie,” he jumped behind the wheel.
The action-comedy film, out this Friday on Apple TV, follows the reunion of a group of childhood friends a gathering that veers unexpectedly when they’re caught in the middle of a wild mission to recover a nuclear warhead. Starring Cena, Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson and Teyonah Parris, the movie directed by Sam Hargrave melds high-octane scenes with more humorous moments. “If you have childhood memories like me of Matchbox, I think you’re going to appreciate all the Easter eggs in there. The action scenes proved difficult for both Cena and his co-star Biel.
And if you don’t know anything about Matchbox or the Mattel franchise, you’re going to sit down and really enjoy this movie,” Cena said during a roundtable with journalists. Training focused more on learning to move in new ways, and doing fight scenes with greater fluidity, Cena said. Biel said it was the driving that propelled her out of her comfort zone. “He was such a big draw to this movie because of his experience and his expertise in the stunt world, and how he likes to do things practically,” Biel said.
