Barbie
Margot Robbie will officially play Barbie in an upcoming live-action film that Warner Bros. and Mattel announced in 2019. The Oscar-nominated actress will also coproduce the movie under her company, LuckyChap Entertainment, alongside husband Tom Ackerley and producer Josey McNamara.
This project will mark the first live-action film from the Barbie franchise, and the first movie deal from Mattel Films, the film division of the company behind Barbie and other iconic toys. Details of the plot and release date have not yet been announced, but here's what we know so far.
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The trailer promises a subversive satire.
"Since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls," a voice narrates in the opening shot in the first teaser trailer for Barbie. The camera pans over little girls sitting desolately in a desert. "But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls, until..."
Enter Robbie, who appears as a giant first iteration of the Mattel doll from 1959, complete with a pin-up ponytail and a black-and-white striped swimsuit.
In a new full trailer, a firm plot for the film still seems to be under wraps, but there is a hint at trouble in paradise for Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling). Barbie seems to want some independence and space right now, while Ken is being quite clingy. What does this mean for the rest of the Barbie-verse!?
There's a whopping 24 official posters featuring the full cast.
Fans got a first look at the full cast for Barbie where the film's official social media channels shared 24 individual posters featuring the core cast of Barbies, Kens, and humans! The new posters confirmed some long rumoured casting decisions including Dua Lipa as a "mermaid" Barbie. See all of the posters, here.
Margot Robbie already looks the part.
In a first look photo shared at CinemaCon 2022, fans received a first look of Robbie in the titular role of the upcoming film. In the image, Robbie is riding around in her pink convertible sporting a headband and a matching halter top.
The studio also released a glimpse of Ryan Gosling in character as Barbie's main man, Ken, in a new shared photo. Gosling almost looks unrecognizable while clad in a denim vest, matching jeans, platinum blonde hair and a very serious faux tan.
Robbie is "honoured" to take on the role.
In a press release, Robbie praised Barbie for promoting "confidence, curiosity and communication" through childhood, and empowering 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 in her statement.
The actress has undergone some impressive transformations for her previous roles, including Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, and Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots. And although fans may be quick to tout the actress as a real-life Barbie, she has actually avoided being typecast for roles based on her looks.
"When I was trying to make my name as an actress, creative roles for women were limited," she told Harper's BAZAAR in her December 2018/January 2019 cover story. "I didn't want to pick up another script where I was the wife or the girlfriend—just a catalyst for the male story line. It was uninspiring."
Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley at the 2018 Golden Globes. Photo: Getty Images
Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley at the 2018 Golden Globes
Rumours of her casting had been circulating for years.
Speculation of Robbie's casting as Barbie first began in 2015, after a Sony email leak reportedly revealed that she was one of the potential actresses to play the famous doll. Years later, in October 2018, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Robbie was in talks to star in and produce the film with Warner Bros.
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She also wasn't the only star attached to the film. In 2016, Amy Schumer had reportedly landed the role but dropped out a few months later due to scheduling conflicts, according to THR. In 2017, Anne Hathaway was reported to possibly star.
Greta Gerwig is directing.
Greta Gerwig had been attached to the Barbie flick since 2019, when she was confirmed to write the script with Noah Baumbach. But now, the Little Women filmmaker is set to direct the film as well, as sources have confirmed to Variety. (Robbie mentioned it in a recent interview as well.)
Robbie and Gerwig at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Photo: Getty Images
Robbie and Gerwig at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards
It will be released in theatres in 2023.
Fans will have to wait a couple years to see this film come to life. Gerwig and Baumbach will first work on their latest project, White Noise, before production for Barbie begins in early 2022 at Warner Bros.' Leavesden Studios in London, Variety reported. For now, the film's release date is July 21, 2023.
Ryan Gosling is set to play Ken.
The film has landed another heavy hitter for its male lead. Blue Valentine actor Ryan Gosling is in final negotiations to play Barbie's beau Ken, per Deadline. The Academy Award nominee has apparently been the studio's only choice from the beginning, and he has now signed on after finding an opening in his schedule. With Gosling signing on, it looks like the long-awaited project can start filming in early 2022.
Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, and more have joined the film's jam-packed cast.
Several cast announcements have been rolling out in the past few weeks, with several major stars joining Robbie and Gosling in the upcoming film. One surprising casting, Sex Education star Emma Mackey, has drawn attention since she and Robbie look so similar. While no details from the plot have been released, the casting's add more allure to Gerwig's take on the Mattel doll.
So far, the cast includes Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Shang Chi star Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, And Just Like That's Hari Nef, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa, Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Ana Cruz Kayne, Connor Swindells, Ritu Arya, and Jamie Demetriou.
There will be a big dance sequence.
While most of the cast has been tight-lipped on what to expect from the film, Shang Chi actor Simu Lu has revealed in several interviews that his role involves a huge dance scene. He first teased the dance in a GQ UK interview, where he shared that he was cast after telling Gerwig about his hip-hop dance experience.
"Greta was talking about how much she loved watching men dance, because it’s such an expression of artistry you're not used to seeing from typical men," he told the outlet.
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Liu also mentioned filming the dance sequence in a recent Entertainment Weekly interview, saying the set feels like the actors are just hanging out and having fun and dancing." Though he didn't mention who else is involved in the scene, there are new rumours for some unconfirmed parts.
If the chatter is true, Liu will actually be playing another version of Ken, along with confirmed Ken Ryan Gosling and second rumoured Ken (and confirmed Doctor Who) Ncuti Gatwa. There may also be multiple Barbies, with both Issa Rae and Hari Nef playing versions of the doll. Basically, whatever you thought could happen in this jam-packed film, it's time to think bigger.
Watch this space for updates.
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.