Film

Margot Robbie Will Play Barbie In A New Live-Action Movie

Margot Robbie is going to be a Barbie girl, but maybe not in a Barbie world.

by Amanda Yeo  9 January 2019
Margot Robbie and Barbie

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Australian actress Margot Robbie has been cast as unattainable ideal Barbie in a new live-action movie. Hopefully, she will be allowed to keep all her ribs.

Warner Bros. and Mattel announced today that their partnership to turn plastic to flesh has found a lead, with Margot Robbie taking on the role of iconic fashion doll Barbie in the live-action film. She will also act as a co-producer under her LuckyChap Entertainment production company.

The role of Barbie appears to be a squeaky-clean deviation from the parts Robbie is most famous for, including Suicide Squad‘s Harley Quinn and I, Tonya‘s Tonya Harding. However, prior to Robbie joining the project, it looked as though the Barbie film would be less family-friendly than expected.

Sony previously had a live-action Barbie film under development, with comedian Amy Schumer attached to lead. According to Variety, the script lent more toward adult comedy than optimistic children’s fare. In it, the protagonist was kicked out of Barbieland and found herself in the real world, much like in Disney film Enchanted. Only rather than being tricked by an evil queen, she is evicted for “not being perfect enough”.

It sounds like an officially licensed Life-Size targeted to adults, which would be awesome. However, we might not get to see this interpretation. Schumer dropped out of the project in 2017, and the rights to a live-action Barbie film have since reverted from Sony back to Mattel.

It’s unknown if the same script will be used, but it’s unlikely the Robbie-led film will be as adult-oriented. In a statement from Mattel, Robbie 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 honored to take on this role and produce a film that I believe will have a tremendously positive impact on children and audiences worldwide.”

The live-action Barbie movie is the first film announced from Mattel’s new film division, launched September last year. Mattel Films is headed by producer Robbie Brenner, who has worked on films such as Serendipity and Dallas Buyers Club. 

Not much else is known about the upcoming film, which is still without a director. But fans already have suggestions for which of Barbie’s many, many professions they’d like it to cover.