Margot Robbie to play a live action Barbie in her latest film

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16th Jul 2019

Margot Robbie is set to play Barbie in a new film, which was originally set to star Amy Schumer as the famous doll. 

The news, which was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter in May of 2018, says toy maker Mattel has enlisted Warner Bros to produce the movie, which was originally picked up by Sony and later dropped. The production will be a collaboration with Robbie’s own studio, LuckyChap, and will star the Oscar-nominated actress as the leading lady.

“This project is a great start to our partnership with Ynon and Mattel Films,” said chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Toby Emmerich. “And Margot is the ideal producer and actress to bring Barbie to life on screen in a fresh and relevant way for today’s audiences.”

Here, we’ve pulled together everything to know about the movie.

 

The final project name is yet to be announced, so watch this space.

Margot Robbie is set to star in the namesake role. “Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity and communication throughout a child’s journey to self-discovery,” Robbie has said. “Over the brand’s almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president.”

“I’m so honoured to take on this role and produce a film that I believe will have a tremendously positive impact on children and audiences worldwide,” she added. “I can’t imagine better partners than Warner Bros and Mattel to bring this film to the big screen.”

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Robbie earnt an Oscar nomination for her role as Tonya Harding in 2017’s I, Tonya, and played the much-loved Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, leading to the actress getting her own spinoff, Birds of Prey, which also started filming in early 2019. 

It’s definitely set to be a busy 12 months for the Australian actress, who is also promoting her work with Quentin Tarantino on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and now, she has the Barbie film under her belt too.

And really, we can’t think of a better Barbie.

Picked up by Sony in 2014, the Barbie movie has been stalling ever since, and following news Schumer dropped out due to “scheduling conflicts” the rights reverted back to Mattel who has since turned to Warner Bros and LuckyChap for the production. That’s how Robbie ended up in the lead role, but who is writing the script for the movie?

Now, a year later, there has been an exciting development in the already long history of the film. Oscar nominees Gerta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have signed on to co-write the screenplay, as they did in previous projects, and Both films are fan favourites and their unique, quirky tone may be featured in this film, in a possible attempt to rebrand Barbie.

Gerwig, who was nominated for Best Director at the Oscars for 2017’s is also set to take the director’s chair. Currently, she is working on the highly anticipated , starring Emma Watson and Timothée Chalamet, set for a January 2020 release in Australia. 

For now, the duo, Gerwig and Baumbach, known for their small-scale indie movies, have solidified their screenwriting deal with , and we’re just waiting for final confirmation that Gerwig will also direct.

While there are still no official details about the plot, reports when the production history began in April 2014, Sony promised an “unexpected, clever, and truly funny” live action Barbie movie. Per the Schumer version went as follows: Barbie is kicked out of Barbieland for not being perfect enough. After landing in the real world, she is swept up in a crazy and hilarious adventure. Schumer was also reportedly going to write the screenplay with her sister, Kim Caramele.

Gerwig and Baumbach’s vision will undoubtedly be different. Since Barbie’s introduction in 1959, the doll has had a staggering 200 careers, ranging from a sign language teacher to doctor to president. There have also been 37 Barbie films and a Netflix series, a mockumentary-style show so the duo have plenty of reference to fall back to.

As of now, the movie’s release date is still pending. On the film’s IMDB profile, the release date is scheduled for 8 May 2020, but whether that is accurate is unclear.