Since 1959 life in plastic has been fantastic, Barbie has been the most popular doll for girls, and the amount of merchandise Mattel has been releasing Barbie content since its beginning. There have been animated Barbie films, but next year the first Barbie live-action film is coming. The film is set to release on July 21, 2023. The project is directed by Greta Gerwig. In 2014, Sony acquired the rights to the Barbie company in order to prepare the film. The project has had many changes since Amy Schumer was supposed to be the star of the movie, but she left the project due to schedule problems. Here is everything we know about this upcoming live-action.
What is the premise of the film?
There is no official premise yet. However, it is believed that the film will not be like any typical Barbie movie, but that the creative team wants to focus the project on something that has not yet been seen in the Barbie world. None of the protagonists have wanted to give a preview of what the film was about, but they say that the story is fascinating.
The little that is known is that Barbie is expelled from Barbieland for being less than perfect, the doll appears in the real world to find true happiness.
Who is part of the cast?
The cast is full of stars and renowned actors, Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, America Ferrera, Simu Liu as another Ken, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel, Issa Rae as another Barbie, Michael Cera, Hari Nef, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rea Perlman, Ncuti Gatwa, Emerald Fernell, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Connor Swindells, among others.
Who is Greta Gerwig?
Gerwig is the director of the upcoming film, but he has also directed other projects like Little Women (2019) which was nominated to the Oscars. She also directed Lady Bird (2017) which was one of the most successful films of 2017, being nominated at the 90th Academy Awards, and even though the film did not win at any nominations, still won other awards.
Greta Gerwig is also an actress and has appeared in films like White Nose (2022), No Strings Attached (2011), Frances Ha (2012), and others.
When did the production start?
Development started in September, 2009, when Mattel announced they had signed a partnership to develop the film with Universal Pictures, with Laurence Mark as the producer, yet the project got stuck. Later in 2014, Mattel teamed up with Sony Pictures to produce the project.
Two years later, actress Amy Schumer entered the negotiations to star in the Barbie role, but a year later due to scheduling conflicts she had to leave the project. In 2017, it was rumored that Anne Hathaway would be the new Barbie, yet later it was confirmed in 2019, that Margot Robbie would be playing Barbie, also Gerwig and Noah Baumbach were confirmed to be part of the project.
In October, Ryan Gosling entered the negotiations to play Ken in the live-action. The actor and the rest of the cast were confirmed to star in the film.
Principal photography began in March, 2022 at Warner Bros. Studios located in England. Filming ended in July of the same year.
Although there are no more details about the movie, it is one of the most awaited movies of 2023 since Barbie has become an icon throughout the years, becoming the most famous doll worldwide.
Andrea Rich
