Mattel Launches Film Division Headed By Dallas Buyers Club Producer

CBR

By Eirik Gumeny

Published Sep 7, 2018

Headed by Robbie Brenner, the new Mattel Films division will produce features based on the toymaker's world-famous properties.

Mattel Logo (PRNewsFoto/Mattel)

Mattel has launched Mattel Films, a new division dedicated to making features based on the toymaker’s properties.

Robbie Brenner, the producer of Dallas Buyers Club and the Sundance award-winning Burden, will lead the new banner as executive producer, under Mattel Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz.

“Mattel is home to one of the world’s greatest portfolios of beloved franchises, and the creation of Mattel Films will allow us to unlock significant value across our IP,” Kreiz said in a statement. “Robbie is a gifted storyteller and a highly respected filmmaker with deep relationships in entertainment. She is the perfect leader to bring our celebrated brands to life.”

Brenner was nominated for an Academy Award in 2014 for Dallas Buyers Club, and this year’s Burden was a Sundance Film Festival audience award winner. She was previously president of production at Relativity Media, and a senior vice president at both 20th Century Fox and Miramax.

Mattel is home to the Barbie, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Hot Wheels, Max Steel and Monster High franchises. The company had been developing Barbie and Masters of the Universe films at Sony, with the latter stalled indefinitely and Barbie pushed to 2020. There’s no word on whether the status of those projects will be affected by the new Mattel Films division.