Before pitching the project to Hasbro and Working Title, Simon Hatt called in a favor from a stunt crew. The result was a pre-visualized fight scene — fully choreographed, shot on spec, entirely on their own time — built to show exactly what kind of movie they had in mind. It worked. Action Man is officially in development.
Variety confirmed the news Monday morning: Working Title Films and Hasbro Entertainment are developing a live-action feature based on the iconic British toy franchise, with Hatt and “X-Men ’97” writer Anthony Sellitti co-writing the script and Jeremy Latcham producing. Both Hatt and Sellitti grew up on the action figures and pushed hard to make the project happen — the pre-vis fight scene was the proof of concept that got everyone in the room, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
The creative team brings a significant amount of Marvel experience to what is, at its core, a very British property. Hatt spent a decade at Marvel Studios working alongside James Gunn, rising to executive producer on “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Sellitti wrote multiple episodes of “X-Men ’97,” including the three-part Season 1 finale. Latcham executive produced the early Avengers films before going independent in 2017, and he already has Hasbro history — “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is among his producing credits, Gizmodo noted.
The tone they’re pitching is action-comedy — fast, high-energy, and leaning deliberately into what makes Action Man distinct from its American counterpart, according to Softonic. The project is said to carry a reverence for classic action cinema alongside a distinctly British sensibility, rather than treating the character as a generic soldier. ComicBook.com pointed out that Working Title was seen as a natural partner precisely because of its track record with British properties — the studio behind “Love Actually,” the “Bridget Jones” films, and “Four Weddings and a Funeral” has a deep understanding of how to package British culture for global audiences.
The toy itself has a longer history than many outside the UK might realize. Palitoy launched Action Man in 1966, two years after Hasbro’s G.I. Joe became a sensation in the United States, initially licensing and adapting the American figure for British audiences. Early models reflected U.S. military uniforms, but by 1970 the line shifted to British armed forces, giving the character his own distinct identity. After its original run ended in 1984, Action Man was revived in the 1990s with a more James Bond-flavored, globetrotting adventurer persona, complete with villains like Dr. X and Professor Gangrene. A tie-in animated series followed, though it aired only on home video in the UK due to broadcasting restrictions around advertising to children, Dark Horizons noted. The line returned again in the 2000s before going quiet once more.
Hasbro has attempted to develop an Action Man film before — Movieweb traced the idea back to 2012, when initial conversations started before stalling through the decade as the company focused on its Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises. Those plans faded by 2018. This new attempt comes at a moment when toy adaptations are back in fashion, James Bond remains cinematically dormant, and the espionage-comedy genre has room for a distinctly British entry, ScreenRant observed.
No cast, director, release date, or distributor has been announced. Hasbro declined to comment and Working Title did not respond to requests for comment, the Hollywood Reporter noted — standard practice for a project this early in development. What exists right now is a script in progress, a producing team with real track records, and a pre-vis fight scene good enough to get the whole thing off the ground.
