The upcoming Vin Diesel Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie is highly anticipated due to 2023’s successful Barbie film.
Development for the movie is still ongoing, with scripts being developed and Vin Diesel enthusiastically on board.
The movie’s plot will revolve around a father and son forming an unlikely bond with an advanced war machine, giving the film more depth than the original tabletop game.

The Vin Diesel Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie is coming from Mattel, and the anticipation has never been higher thanks to the success of 2023’s Barbie. First released by the Marx Toy Company in 1966, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots is a two-player tabletop game that features two robots — known as the Red Rocker and the Blue Bomber — who battle it out in a boxing ring. Each player takes control of one of the joystick-operated robots with the objective being to punch the opponent robot until its head is knocked off. The game peaked in popularity during the ’60s and ’70s but was resurrected in 2000 by Mattel.

Prior to Mattel Films announcing their upcoming movie based on the game starring Vin Diesel, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots had a brief cameo in Toy Story 2 during a scene in which Buzz Lightyear and his friends are searching the office of nefarious toy collector Al McWhiggin for Woody and Slinky Dog asks the Red Rocker and Blue Bomber whether they’ve seen his missing pal. Now the Blue Bomber and Red Rocker will be getting their own feature-length outing from Mattel Films and Vin Diesel in the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robots movie.

The most recent news on the upcoming Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie starring Vin Diesel came in July 2023. While it wasn’t a solid update on the long-gestating project, it was still a positive confirmation that plans for Red Rocker and Blue Bomber’s first movie adaptation is still moving ahead.

Following the success of 2023’s Barbie, Mattel Films exec Robbie Brenner gave an update on Mattel’s upcoming toy movie adaptations, including the Vin Diesel Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie. While Brenner didn’t provide a release date, he did confirm that development was ongoing and a script was being developed, as well as that Vin Diesel is still enthusiastically on board. “Vin is excited,” Brenner explained (via Variety), “We’re working on developing a script and we’re all very excited about it.”

Vin Diesel’s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Movie Is Confirmed

The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie starring Vin Diesel is confirmed, with studios Mattel Films, Vin Diesel’s One Race films, and Universal bringing the boxing robots to the big screen. The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots film was first announced in 2021, and development has been ongoing since. Diesel is set to star and will also co-produce alongside Mattel Films and Universal Pictures under his One Race Films banner.

He’ll be acting from a script penned by Rampage screenwriter Ryan Engle which, according to Deadline, will follow “a father and son who form an unlikely bond with an advanced war machine.” Back in 2010, there were rumors Mattel was teaming with German director Wolfgang Petersen (of Das Boot and The NeverEnding Story fame) to make a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie, but the project didn’t come together.

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots Movie Release Date

There’s currently no release date for the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie. However, given that Mattel Films are significantly pushing their cinematic ventures following the success of 2023’s Barbie, it’s possible that a window for the arrival of the upcoming Vin Diesel movie could be announced in the near future.

Any prediction is purely speculative, but given that scripts were still being developed in mid-2023 (although work on them was presumably paused due to the now-resolved WGA strike) it’s likely that Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots won’t arrive until 2025 or 2026 at the earliest. It’s expected to have a theatrical release, and it’s unclear which streaming platform would host it.

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots Movie Cast: Who’s Joining Vin Diesel?

Besides Vin Diesel, who’s also an executive producer, there have been no announcements when it comes to the cast of the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie. Given Vin Diesel’s prominence in the entertainment industry, there’s no shortage of former cast members from various projects like the Fast and Furious movies, the Riddick franchise, or even fellow Guardians of the Galaxy stars he could tap to join him. What’s more, the response to Barbie likely means many actors are eyeing potential movies based on toys they can join. While there’s no way to predict any names yet, it’s likely that Mattel’s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie will face few issues finding cast members.

What The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots Movie Will Be About: Story & Plot Details

Ryan Eagle is on screenwriting duties for the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie, and the plot will reportedly be about “a father and son who form an unlikely bond with an advanced war machine.” Presumably this war machine is one of the titular Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, either the Red Rocker or the Blue Bomber. While this premise immediately draw comparisons to 2011 Hugh Jackman sci-fi Real Steel — which many already consider a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robots movie in everything but name and an official capacity — the fact that Eagle’s story focuses on an “advanced war machine” instantly sets the movie apart.

The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots game in 1966 didn’t come with much of a backstory beyond that Red Rocker and Blue Bomber were two advanced boxing robots who want to rock and sock each other. The game’s popularity stemmed from how fun it was rather than any deep lore. While various video games over the years have added a little bit of plot, this has always been a shallow premise to bring a recognizable brand-name to a new product. This gives the Vin Diesel Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie a lot of scope with its plot, just as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie had, and it seems that Eagle is using this leeway to make something a bit beyond machines who exist only to box.