A quick parkour across roofs, a fight that ends in a broken nose, and a wild drive down Interstate H3, pursued by helicopters. That is just a day-in-the-life for Pika, one of the sidekicks of the Hale brothers at the heart of “The Wrecking Crew.”
The fast-paced action comedy features estranged brothers Jonny Hale (Jason Momoa) and James Hale (Dave Bautista), who reunite in Hawai’i to figure out who murdered their father. The movie, which also stars Temuera Morrison and Frankie Adams, among others, launched on Amazon Prime Video on Jan. 27.
Prior to “The Wrecking Crew,” Batalon has been in a number of movies and television series. He is known for playing Ned Leeds in five Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films, starting with “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017).
For Batalon, who grew up on Oʻahu and graduated from the Kalihi-based Damien Memorial School, “The Wrecking Crew” was a chance to break out the pidgin.
“I think being from Hawaiʻi, you don't really get the chance to do it in a lot of American media,” he said. “It's very specific.”
Batalon now lives in New York, but he visits Hawaiʻi and still calls it home.
“Unless I'm back home, that's the only time I ever really talk like that,” he said with a laugh. “It was fun for sure.”
Batalon’s first scene opposite Momoa involved a punch to the nose for his character, Pika. It also included blood and a strong drink. But the actual real-life meeting between the actors went much more smoothly.
“Actually, the first time we met, he just gave me a big hug,” Batalon said. “He's like: ʻDude it's gonna be so great. We're gonna be bustin’ each other's balls. It's gonna be so fun. It’s bros doing bro stuff.’ And that immediately disarmed me.”
James Hale (Dave Bautista); his brother's ex girlfriend, Valentina (Morena Baccarin); and Pika (Jacob Batalon). (Courtesy of Prime Video) 
Pika (Jacob Batalon) gets a broken nose in his first encounter with Jonny Hale (Jason Momoa). (Courtesy of Prime Video) 
Jason Momoa, who stars in "The Wrecking Crew," recently appeared in "Chief of War," an Apple TV+ series released in 2025. (Courtesy of Prime Video) 
The funeral held at the beach is the first scene where we see Nani, far right, played by Frankie Adams. She embraces her long lost cousin, Jonny, played by Jason Momoa. (Courtesy of Prime Video) 
The movie will be streaming globally on Prime Video at 10 p.m. on Jan. 27. (Courtesy of Prime Video)
“The Wrecking Crew” included 12 days of filming in Hawaiʻi and 43 days in New Zealand, Angela Laprete, the Hawaiʻi producer for the movie, told ASD. Laprete is a founder of the Hawai’i Film Alliance, which formed in July and is advocating for tax incentives that could bring more movies and television shows to Hawai’i and have them stay longer.
“I think ʻThe Wrecking Crew’ kind of calls back to a lot of the 80s- and 90s-style action cop buddy movies,” he said. “A lot of the movie pays homage to that.”
Batalon's ties to the Islands remains strong.
“My family still lives in Salt Lake,” he said. “I try to go back, but it's hard. It's like a really expensive flight if no one's paying for you.”
Batalon laughs.
The cast for “The Wrecking Crew” was filming the last parts of the movie in January of 2025, he added, which gave him an opportunity to bring his fiancée, Veronica Leahov, to Oʻahu.
“I took her to all at my favorite food spots,” he said. “It was pretty great.”
Batalon was especially glad to enjoy the milder weather and beaches. He also took his fiancée to Soon’s Kal-Bi Drive-In, Side Street Inn, Rainbow Drive-In, McDonald's for the Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice classic and “Zippy’s, obviously,” he said.
When Batalon spoke with Aloha State Daily on Tuesday, Jan. 27, his family had not yet seen the movie.
“I think they're gonna watch it tomorrow,” he said . “They’re very skittish when it comes to gory action movies. I don't know how they're gonna respond to seeing me with a broken nose.”
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
