When Deadpool & Wolverine became a massive hit last year, it reunited star Hugh Jackman with Shawn Levy, the director of one of Jackman’s most underrated films, Real Steel. This brought about many questions about a possible Real Steel 2. As a fan of the original, I was very excited by that, but thus far, we’ve heard nothing about such a film. But apparently, a new robot boxing movie is on the way, but from a very different source.
Vin Diesel Is Writing A Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots Movie
Some fairly surprising news just dropped from Deadline, which reports that Vin Diesel is attached to star, produce, and write a movie based on Mattel’s classic Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots toy. Diesel’s attachment to the project actually dates all the way back to 2021, but the news that he will now pen the script is new. While no details of the story have been revealed, Robbie Brenner, President of Mattel Studios and Chief Content Officer, is calling the actor’s take on the material “deeply cinematic.”
Needless to say, the words “deeply cinematic” were not ones I expected to see connected to a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie. But, then again, Mattel shocked us all by making a Barbie movie that was incredible and deeply cinematic, I would say, so anything is possible. We can’t discount the possibility that the same thing could happen here.
Comparisons to Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots were certainly made back when Real Steel came out in 2011. The film saw a world where people had been taken out of combat sports, and instead, robots take their place. Jackman plays an absent father who attempts to connect with his son through training a robot. So, you can see why the two titles have been tied together.
Could Real Steel 2 Actually Happen?
It’s hard to gauge what the real possibilities of a Real Steel 2 might be. While Shawn Levy has certainly expressed interest and indicated Hugh Jackman would likely also be on board, there’s no sign that anybody is actually trying to make such a movie happen. Anyway, Levy is a bit busy right now making a movie with Ryan Gosling in a galaxy far, far, away.
Now, if Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots actually happens, it could have a material impact on such a sequel. If Vin Diesel’s new project moves ahead quickly, it might be enough to kill the possibility of Real Steel 2 happening, as no studio probably wants to be the second one to tell a similar story.
Still, as somebody who generally likes movies where big robots punch each other, I’ll give Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots a chance. At least it will give Vin Diesel something to do while he waits to figure out if we’re ever going to get a finale to the Fast & Furious franchise.