Last year it was reported that Mattel’s long-planned Barbie movie had moved from Sony to Warner Bros., with the studio looking to bring in its Suicide Squad star Margot Robbie for the title role in the live-action adaptation of the classic toy line.
Well, we now have confirmation that Robbie will instead star in the movie, as well as co-producing through her LuckyChap Entertainment production company.
“Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity and communication throughout a child’s journey to self-discovery,” said Robbie via a statement at Variety. “Over the brand’s almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president,” said the Academy Award-nominated actress in a statement. “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. I can’t imagine better partners than Warner Bros. and Mattel to bring this film to the big screen.”
Any Schumer was previously attached to the role of Barbie when the project was originally set up at Sony, but was forced to exit the film due to a scheduling conflict, with Anne Hathaway then signing on for the lead before Sony’s option expired. As yet, there’s no word on a director for Warner Bros.’ version, but with Robbie now on board we can presumably expect it to start coming together fairly quickly.
Are you excited about seeing Margot Robbie as Barbie? Let us know your thoughts on the project in the comments below…