Credit: Barbie
Who’s ready to watch Barbie come to life?
Well, if you’ve been living under a rock for the last three years, then a live-action version of the famous brand was greenlit. Originally, Barbie made a splash in entertainment and media in March of 1959; developer Ruth Handler co-founded the product with her husband Elliot of the Mattel company. The inspiration behind the 11-inch plastic figure came from the couple watching their daughter play with make-believe paper dolls of adult women. Handler realized the potential for a toy, though the founder likely didn’t guess it would be an iconic figure selling over billions of dollars. The toy was officially released on March 9, 1959, with the doll reflecting viral stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. The product reportedly sold 300,00o units in its first year; the rest is history. Barbie’s first love, Ken Carson, was introduced to the masses in 1961. The name comes from Ruth Handler’s son. As time passed, Barbie expanded to media thanks to cartoons and direct-to-DVD features that would keep the product relevant.
In 2019, Greta Gerwig signed on to write the live-action project. The writer/director has been a hot commodity thanks to her breakout hits Lady Bird and Little Women, which garnered 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Achievement in Directing. Her writing partner, Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, The Squid, and the Whale), will also join the filmmaker, with Gerwig taking the sole reins as a director on the project. Thus far, the live-action film has stacked up an incredible cast, with the most notable being Two-time Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049, The Gray Man) and Margot Robbie (The Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street); Robbie is confirmed to play the title character with Gosling as Ken.
Credit: Barbie
Will Ferrell (Anchorman, The Other Guys), Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Superbad), Issa Rae (Insecure, The Hate U Give), Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters, Bombshell), and Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). The speculation is that most of these actors will play a different version of a Barbie doll, though their exact role in the film hasn’t been confirmed. Given the track record of both Gerwig and Baumbach, whose films tend to skew towards adults, it should be exciting to see what type of feature they produce because it’s clear based on the incredible depth of talent that this isn’t just some kid’s film meant to pander to the Barbie crowd.
“It comes with a lot of baggage!” Robbie said about the film in an interview with British Vogue in June 2021. “And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that comes a lot of exciting ways to attack it. People generally hear Barbie and think, I know what that movie will be, and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t…”
Though the exact details of the story aren’t confirmed yet, the plot overall has been revealed: Barbie follows the title character in her colorful and perfect world of Barbieland until she’s pushed out due to her so-called imperfections – prompting the popular figure to go on an adventure in the real world and discover that perfection can only be found within. Though Gerwig is mainly known for adult affairs as a writer/director, the plot does sound on brand as she’s known for her feminist themes in both Lady Bird and Little Women. Despite all the chatter about the upcoming film, Barbie doesn’t yet have any trailers to showcase, though given that the film isn’t set to release until July 21, 2023, then that’s no need to worry yet about the live-action feature. Robbie’s statement about the film shouldn’t be assumed that the Barbie film is as simplistic as it sounds.
Credit: Barbie
Initially, Amy Schumer was announced to play the iconic doll in December 2016; however, the Trainwreck star backed out of the project four months later. The PR reasoning was stated as scheduling conflicts. Still, Schumer revealed the real reason to The Hollywood Reporter, citing that creative differences led to her departure from the project, “They didn’t want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it.”
Whatever the case, the Barbie feature is shaping up to be one of the more exciting films of 2023. As time gets close to the release, more information about the project will come to light.
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