The Internet’s Blasting Vin Diesel’s Rock ‘Em Sock Em’ Robots Movie As A Real Steel Ripoff

The news arrived yesterday that Vin Diesel was set to remain in business with Universal, the studio behind the all-conquering Fast & Furious franchise, to produce and star in a live-action Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie through his One Race Films banner. Mattel are also heavily involved in the project, which is set to be written by Ryan Engle, who scripted Liam Neeson action thrillers Non-Stop and The Commuter, as well as Dwayne Johnson’s video game adaptation Rampage.

In keeping with Diesel’s signature role as Dominic Toretto, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots has been described as a story about family, as a father and son duo form a unique bond with an advanced fighting machine that eventually brings them closer together. Of course, the internet has been quick to point out that we’ve seen this exact movie already, and it was called Real Steel.

Real Steel itself was clearly indebted to Mattel’s beloved toys for inspiration, with Hugh Jackman’s deadbeat dad initially agreeing to basically sell his son before they bond over the course of several robot fighting tournaments. Naturally, people were keen to point out the comparisons, and you can see some of the reactions below.

Real Steel exists though. https://t.co/Er9BFfkKM6

— CinemaSins (@cinemasins) April 19, 2021

https://twitter.com/Rohan_312/status/1384193893688700933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384193893688700933%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frock-em-sock-em-robots-movie-universal-vin-diesel-real-steel%2F

https://twitter.com/Anime_Ronin/status/1384234316528451589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384234316528451589%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frock-em-sock-em-robots-movie-universal-vin-diesel-real-steel%2F

https://twitter.com/NotJohn____/status/1384218999207075844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384218999207075844%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frock-em-sock-em-robots-movie-universal-vin-diesel-real-steel%2F

I see Real Steel trending and it goes without saying…

That movie ABSOLUTELY needs a sequel pic.twitter.com/7bmNUg2gIM

— TChalla✊🏿 (@Tchalla43ver) April 19, 2021

https://twitter.com/RedLightning_69/status/1384256641965559812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384256641965559812%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frock-em-sock-em-robots-movie-universal-vin-diesel-real-steel%2F

I realize Real Steel was basically just Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, but come on guys… https://t.co/eGIWXzJ6sq

— The One Who Mocks (@KoltonSaurus) April 20, 2021

Uuuggghhh…
They already did this. It's called Real Steel with Hugh Jackman. Uggghhh….https://t.co/gr3FAlsveU

— Aaron Henley (@ahenley2011) April 19, 2021

https://twitter.com/CoveredInAshe/status/1384227453556563970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384227453556563970%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frock-em-sock-em-robots-movie-universal-vin-diesel-real-steel%2F

https://twitter.com/WitneySeibold/status/1384200386513227783

https://twitter.com/Atreides42/status/1384216003668701187

https://twitter.com/madisoncarter76/status/1384360689070792705

So we gon pretend Real Steel don't exist huh? https://t.co/ZVZWcjpelm

— sketchmasterskillz.bsky (@sktchmstrskllz) April 19, 2021

This is the closest thing we're getting to a Real Steel sequel isn't it? https://t.co/iCzbMtxRZs

— Super Sketch Software (@SketchSuper) April 19, 2021

We already had that movie. It was called "Real Steel." https://t.co/g9w3UoZsGK pic.twitter.com/JfNktDgCb6

— OrionPax09 (@OrionPax09) April 19, 2021

https://twitter.com/PlayerPhase/status/1384226584396124160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384226584396124160%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frock-em-sock-em-robots-movie-universal-vin-diesel-real-steel%2F

https://twitter.com/Sc0ttst0tts/status/1384239760042958848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384239760042958848%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Frock-em-sock-em-robots-movie-universal-vin-diesel-real-steel%2F

Shawn Levy’s family-friendly blockbuster didn’t earn enough at the box office to generate a sequel, but it’s since gained an appreciation as something of an underrated cult favorite, and it dominated Netflix’s most-watched list for weeks on end after being added to the library last year, leading to hopes that a second installment could happen. It looks like Diesel’s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots is getting there first, but social media users would clearly much rather see Real Steel 2.