Shoot Casablanca
Matchbox: John Cena and Jessica Biel filmed in Morocco
Sam Hargrave’s action film, released on Apple TV on 9 October 2026, shot some of its big scenes in Erfoud, Merzouga, Casablanca and El Jadida in March 2025.
By OFFSTAGE NEWS 1 min read
- Production
- Matchbox (Apple Studios, Skydance, Mattel)
- City
- Casablanca
- Dates
- March 2025
Matchbox, the action film produced by Apple, Skydance and Mattel, shot some of its big scenes in Morocco in March 2025. Directed by Sam Hargrave and starring John Cena and Jessica Biel, it was released on Apple TV on 9 October 2026, with a running time of 2 h 06. The film is inspired by the Matchbox toy cars, created in 1953. John Cena plays Sean, a CIA agent who returns to his hometown and drags his childhood friends into a chase around the world.
Filming began in Budapest in January 2025, and the crew arrived in Morocco in March. The first scenes were shot in the desert, in Erfoud and Merzouga, including four days of filming in Erfoud. The crew then spent several days on avenue Mohamed Diouri in Casablanca, and videos shared on social media show John Cena in a car scene in the Derb Omar neighbourhood. Interior scenes were planned at the Royal Mansour Casablanca hotel and the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort in El Jadida. The Moroccan shoot was due to end around 22 March. Filming then continued elsewhere and wrapped on 7 April 2025.
In Morocco, production was handled by Kasbah Films, Karim Debbagh’s company, which has experience of major foreign shoots.
A former stuntman, Sam Hargrave directed both Extraction films for Netflix. The screenplay is by David Coggeshall. Alongside John Cena and Jessica Biel, the cast includes Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, Teyonah Parris, Daniel Bernhardt, Corey Stoll, Golshifteh Farahani, Danai Gurira and Randeep Hooda. After a premiere in New York on 5 October 2026, the film had a rather cool reception from critics but reached number one on Apple TV in the United States within its first 24 hours.