Former Marvel Writers Team Up to Revive a Cult UK Toy Brand as a Blockbuster

While they may not be as prominent as superhero movies, at least not lately, movies based on toys have a longstanding history in the film industry. In fact, even outside of obvious examples like the beloved Disney Toy Story brand, a wide array of toys have become the focus of feature length films. Perhaps the best recent example is 2023’s Barbie, which actually managed to be the highest-grossing movie of that year and has already spawned sequel talks.

There is also, of course, the G.I. Joe movies, based on the Hasbro toy of the same name, which have generally proven very popular (although the most recent installment has certainly had its issues, with one reboot script by controversial writer Max Landis being passed over by Paramount and Chris Hemsworth reportedly exiting the project that is moving ahead). Now, yet another Hasbro toy is getting a big screen debut, and this film is already confirmed to have some major Marvel writers attached.

Marvel Creatives Are Uniting on Action Man

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, classic UK toy brand Action Man is officially getting a movie, and it has a team of Marvel creatives behind it. Scriptwriters for the movie include Simon Hatt, who worked at Marvel for a decade including as the executive producer of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Anthony Sellitti, who worked on X-Men ’97. Joining them as producer of the project is Jeremy Latcham, who was a producer on a staggering number of MCU movies, including: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

With so much talent backing the project, this Action Man movie already has a leg up, but the brand itself is likely to also draw audiences in. These toys debuted in the 1960s as a UK-based adaptation of the American G.I. Joe, and for decades, it underwent a range of changes, updates, and relaunches. Even today, Action Man is seen as an iconic brand, and this film will no doubt draw upon that continued popularity as well as the decades of nostalgia to engage audiences.

For now, with the movie so early in development, details are very sparse. In fact, according to The Hollywood Reporter, neither Hasbro nor Working Title—the two companies collaborating on the project—commented upon the movie, with Hasbro declining outright, and Working Title not responding. There is therefore seemingly no confirmed title or release date for the movie, and any details about the movie may very well be kept tightly under wraps for some time. Nevertheless, it is very exciting to know that this project is in the works, and there are undoubtedly many Action Man fans who are about to be very happy with the news.