John Cena ‘struggling to fit’ into Matchbox cars for new Apple movie

Here's TopGear.com's roving correspondent, Cory Spondent, with his mostly incorrect exclusives from the world of motoring

Apple’s upcoming Matchbox movie – a live-action feature film based on the classic toy vehicle brand – has run into early difficulties on set, with lead actor John Cena reputedly struggling to fit into the tiny die-cast cars.

Reports from Hollywood suggest the wrestler-turned-screen-star is having a hard time squeezing his 18-stone frame into the film’s star car, a 1:64-scale replica of a 1966 Dodge Charger.

“We knew fitting a full-grown human into a thumb-sized muscle car could be a challenge,” revealed one insider. “But they always say actors are smaller in real life than they look on screen, so we figured we might be OK. But first day of shooting, John rocks up and, whew, I’m telling you. He is a big dude. Big dude.

“And the cars… well, they’re tiny. Most of us hadn’t played with Matchbox cars since we were kids and, I dunno, they seemed a lot bigger back then?"

The production team have employed an array of tricks to squeeze the lantern-jawed leading man into the pocket-sized model cars: smothering Cena in goose-fat, using a really big shoe-horn, and also suggesting he ‘puts the driver’s seat right the way back’.

But with no success yet, producers are believed to be reconsidering the film’s planned car chase sequences. “Even if we do manage to get John into the Charger, he’s going to struggle to operate it,” said the insider. “The accelerator and brake are really close together. Plus, y’know, the entire interior is a single tiny piece of moulded plastic and the front wheels don’t turn. And also there’s no engine.”

The team, however, haven’t given up hope. “John’s a professional, he’s slimming down for the role,” revealed our mole. “But can he really trim himself down to just a couple of centimetres in height? With Thanksgiving coming up?”

Apple is reportedly investigating more extreme resizing solutions, including debigulating Cena using some sort of powerful laser device, or making him stand right in the back of shot while parking the cars much closer to camera.

“Or we could just get Tom Cruise instead,” admitted the insider.