HOLLYWOOD—She’s been an astronaut, teacher, chef, paramedic and mermaid, it’s only right that she tries to be a movie star. Back in 2017, the world’s most famous doll was announced it would hit the big screen. Last week a trailer was released prompting a flurry of brilliant memes. So who stars in the film Barbie? The beautiful actress Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are taking the roles of Barbie and Ken.
Wait, more than one Barbie! More than one Ken! The film also stars pop star Dua Lipa (who plays mermaid Barbie), Nicola Coughlan as (diplomat Barbie) and Ana Cruz Kayne as a (Supreme Court Justice Barbie). Issa Rae will play a President Barbie, while Emma Mackey portrays a Barbie with a Nobel Prize in physics.
Ken is played by Ncuti Gatwa taking on the role of a guitar-playing Ken, while “One Life To Live’s” Scott Evans will appear as a cowboy hat-wearing Ken. “The Crown’s” Emerald Fennell stars as Midge, Barbie’s best friend, and “Juno’s” Michael Cera will appear as Ken’s friend Allan. Human characters will be played by actress America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Jamoe Demetriou and Connor Swindells. The film is being directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig.
The 39-year-old is best known for directing films as “Lady Bird,” which netted her an Oscar nomination for Best Director. She also directed the 2019 remake of “Little Women,” which saw her reunite with Ronan and Chalamet, alongside Emma Watson and Laura Dern. It earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time for adapted screenplay. Gerwig is an actress herself and has appeared in various films like “Francis Ha,” 20th Century Women and recently, “White Noise.” “White Noise” was directed by her partner Noah Baumbach, with whom she has co-written the “Barbie” script.
The trailer went viral, with hilarious memes on social media. Warner Bros anticipated the madness, coding a website that allowed fans to insert themselves into the posters in time for the trailer dropping. The film has taken several years due to many reasons-one being various changes to the cast and the creative team and of course COVID-19. Let’s not forget the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, which slowed down the production process. Amy Schumer has previously been cast to play the titular doll, only to drop out in 2017 due to scheduling conflicts. Anne Hathaway was also reportedly in talks to take over, but the role went to Margot Robbie, who was announced as the film’s star and producer in early 2019.
In a statement released when she was cast Robbie said, “I’m honored to take on this role that I believe will have a tremendously positive impact on children.” She added that the movie would promote “confidence, curiosity and communication.” Robbie is the Oscar-nominated star of “I, Tonya,” “Bombshell,” “Suicide Squad” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” She’s hoping that Barbie performs better than two of her more recent films which disappointed at the box office- Babylon and Amsterdam. The film is set for release on July 21, 2023, a joint project between Warner Bros and Barbie manufacturer Mattel.
Mattel, has been around since 1959, and has previously seen animated adaptations including Barbie in The Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie of Swan Lake. However, the latest live-action adaptation is likely to be the most high-profile-and successful-Barbie ever to hit the big screen. I believe that Barbie is set to be rated PG-13. It should be a tongue-in-cheek film directed at more adults and big kids than little ones. The plot is interesting, A Barbie doll living in Barbieland is expelled from the world for not being perfect enough, too eccentric and not fitting the usual mold. So if you like the color Pink it will be everywhere!
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