The Warner Bros. live-action Barbie film has been set in motion since the ancient times of 2015, with a script drafted by Hilary Winston (My Name is Earl) and the horrific decision to cast Amy Schumer as the titular "Barbie", thankfully the hell that we call pre-production sometimes makes changes for the best and this is no longer the case. The concept alone of a Barbie film would likely go under most film-buffs radar as just another live-action adaptation cash-grab of a toy franchise, but examples such as The Lego Movie (2014) prove this isn't always the case.
What did catch the attention of modern cinephiles was the announcement that the screenplay was now set to be written by Noah Baumbach, writer & director of the beloved films Frances Ha (2012) and Marriage Story (2019) while also set to be directed by his partner, the marvelously talented Greta Gerwig, writer and director of Lady Bird (2017) & Little Women (2019). With these visionary filmmakers who have been making waves in the cinematic art scene now signed on to craft the film, it's obvious that this is going to be far more than what we'd expect. We could not imagine Warner Bros. hiring these two creative minds without wanting a truly interesting result & we couldn't imagine them signing on without significant creative freedom.
The Film is Set to Star Margot Robbie & Ryan Gosling
Margot Robbie has proven time and time again that she's far more than a pretty face, dazzling audiences with her layered biographical character depictions in I, Tonya (2017) & Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), she is more than capable to bring all ends of the acting spectrum to the table if the film requires. With Ryan Gosling of Drive (2011) & Blade Runner 2049 (2017) as "Ken" we now have solid A-list stars carrying this film, and with the talent behind the camera, it might just be unstoppable. With production set for only a few months from the writing of this article, we may see a release as early as the beginning of 2023.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Robbie said "Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, 'Oh Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is.' But our goal is to be like, 'Whatever you're thinking, we're going to give you something totally different – the thing you didn't know you wanted.'' The film has been described as a "dystopian" take on the "perfect" doll, who is ousted from a world of Barbies and forced to live as an imperfect person in our imperfect world. Margot added that she hopes to put some 'positivity out in the world' and provoke 'thoughtful conversation' with the new movie. Speaking about the choice of writers she said: 'Now, can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people? Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we're really firing on all cylinders.' All of this information adds up to the conclusion that this will be a much more intriguing and exciting take on the colossal franchise, one that we are immensely awaiting!
The Barbie Movie is currently slated for a 2023 release.