There are just a few people in Hollywood that can get a major blockbuster film made based almost completely on their star power. One of those people is Vin Diesel. This is a man that, over the years, has been able to make multiple ‘Riddick’ films, “The Last Witch Hunter,” “Babylon AD,” “XXX: The Return of Xander Cage,” and most recently, “Bloodshot.” Obviously, those ‘Fast & Furious’ films help give him credibility, but it’s damn impressive that Diesel has been able to get these blockbusters made, even if they aren’t well-received critically and don’t make a ton of money at the box office. And he’s doing his magic yet again, by attempting to bring the “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” game to the big screen.
According to THR, Vin Diesel is teaming up with Universal (a studio that absolutely loves making Vin Diesel the star of the ‘Fast & Furious’ films) and Mattel for a live-action adaptation of the children’s game, “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.” The film doesn’t have much in the way of details, just yet, but the game is fairly simple to explain, as two people use controllers to make two plastic robots fight each other until one of their heads pops off. Just seeing that description makes you completely understand why Vin Diesel wants this to become a film, right?
Observant film fans with a decent memory will likely think back to the 2011 Hugh Jackman film, “Real Steel.” That film, though not a critical or box office darling, is seemingly the best attempt at a “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” film, without the official branding. The 2011 film takes place in the distant future of 2020 and featured Hugh Jackman as a boxing trainer in a world where robots replaced humans in the ring. Yes, it’s basically a film that saw CGI robots beating the shit out of each other in a boxing ring, which you have to assume is all that any “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” film would be.
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But yet, Universal and Vin Diesel are going to make “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” a thing. They’ve enlisted Ryan Engle, the writer behind the action film “Rampage,” to write the script. And though it seems like a long shot, what are the odds the film ends up being some sort of backdoor prequel to the ‘Riddick’ Saga? If so, my body is ready for Diesel to somehow find a way to make all of his non-‘F&F’ films somehow fit together in some sort of weird-ass cinematic universe where multiple bald tough guys exist and fight evil. Now, there’s an idea that should appeal to Mr. Diesel.