Overview

• Mattel Films and TriStar Pictures are collaborating on a live-action/animated hybrid film based on the classic arcade game Whac-A-Mole.
• The film is in early development, with oversight from executives Elizabeth Bassin and Steve Spohr for Mattel and Shary Shirazi and Kelseigh Coombs for TriStar.
• No director, cast, or release date has been announced, as the project remains in its preliminary stages.
• Whac-A-Mole, originally created by Japanese company TOGO in 1975, has been a cultural touchstone for decades, with Mattel acquiring the trademark in 2008.
• This project is part of Mattel’s broader strategy to adapt its toy and game catalog into films, following the success of Barbie and other projects like Masters of the Universe and Matchbox movies currently in development.