Vin Diesel’s Most Vin Diesel Move Yet: Writing, Producing, and Starring in a Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots Movie

Vin Diesel is officially adding 'writer' to his Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots to-do list. He was already producing and starring in Mattel Studios' movie version of the toy; now Mattel says he is also getting behind the script. Yes, that Vin Diesel.

What Diesel is actually doing here

Diesel first signed on back in 2021 as producer and lead. Mattel has now confirmed he is tackling the screenplay too. Mattel Studios boss Robbie Brenner told Deadline she sees him as a storyteller who gets action and heart and knows how to build worlds, which is exactly the lane they want this thing to live in.

Quick refresher: the toy

If you never had the plastic ring, the original Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots pits two bots — the Red Rocker and the Blue Bomber — against each other. Each player uses a simple stick setup to shuffle and throw punches. Nail a clean uppercut to the jaw and your opponent's head pops up like a toaster. Over the years the basic mechanism has been reskinned with a bunch of pop-culture characters, but it all traces back to those two bruisers.

Diesel's pitch, in his own words

"I am excited to expand the Mattel universe by bringing this classic toy from my childhood to a modern audience by telling a story that examines the role of competition in a world often measured by strength and dominance that dares to reveal the power of compassion at its core."

The strategy

Reading between the lines, Mattel is chasing the same creative play that worked for Barbie in 2023 — putting a bold, singular voice in charge instead of sanding everything down by committee. Whether that translates to Vin Diesel writing a robot boxing movie that actually hits you in the feels remains to be seen, but he clearly has a take.

What we still don't know

No release date yet. That’s the whole update. When there is one, I’ll holler.