Margot Robbie has some tiny, plastic shoes to fill, but with director Greta Gerwig paving her dream-house driveway, Barbie seems less likely to stumble in those stilettos. Variety confirmed on July 9 that Little Women director Gerwig will helm the live-action Barbie film, with Robbie attached as Mattel’s size-zero superstar. Under Gerwig’s stewardship, the blonde icon who’s juggled careers as a president, doctor, teacher, fashion designer and Olympic athlete will be forced to confront her feminist critics.
Revealed Robbie in a cover story with British Vogue, “Right, it comes with a lot of baggage! And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it.” Here’s what we know about the doll drama so far.
When will the film release?
The Warner Bros. project was first announced in 2019, but numerous other projects—and, not to mention, a pandemic—have kept Gerwig and Robbie busy in the interim. Variety confirms that Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach will finalize the script after completing work on the Baumbach-directed 2022 film White Noise.
Barbie is set to film in London in early 2022 and will be slated for a 2023 theatrical release. There’s no word yet on when, where or if the film will be available on streaming services.
Who’s playing Ken?
It was announced on October 22 that Ryan Gosling was in final negotiations for the role of Ken, the well-known romantic interest of Barbie and a wonderful choice for a leading man to star opposite Robbie. Apparently, Gosling initially rejected the role, saying he was too busy, but the delay in production lined it up with a free spot in his calendar. Gosling recently wrapped on the Russo brothers’ Netflix film The Gray Man, acting alongside Chris Evans.
Who else is in the cast?
On February 9, 2022, Variety first revealed that America Ferrera will star in the film alongside Gosling and Robbie. There’s no word yet on what her role will entail.
What will the story be about?
Gerwig will pen the script with Marriage Story’s Baumbach, which means this won’t be your typical toy-to-television adaptation.
“People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t…,” Robbie told British Vogue.
While we wait for more news, might we suggest a rewatch of the ground-breaking 2004 film Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper?
