Greta Gerwig has officially signed on to direct Barbie, the in-development film which will star Margot Robbie in the titular role as the iconic Mattel doll. Gerwig and her husband Noah Baumbach were already signed on to pen the screenplay, but she has now been confirmed to direct, which will be her follow-up to 2019’s highly acclaimed Little Women.
The Barbie film has been through ups and downs over the last few years. Robbie is the third actress to be cast in the lead role; Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway were attached to star at various points, but both of those were back when Sony held the rights. The project is now in the works at Warner Bros., who signed a deal with Mattel Films in January 2019.
Last year, Robbie teased that the film will be “something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted”, and with Gerwig now directing that’s even more likely. She had enough confidence to put her own spin on a classic like Little Women, so she’s not going to have any qualms about making Barbie in her own vision.
The film will likely be a lot more subversive and interesting than a mainstream Barbie film otherwise would be with Gerwig at the helm, and she should get plenty of support from Robbie, who is also producing under her LuckyChap Entertainment production company, who were behind this year’s Oscar-nominated hit Promising Young Woman.
While this will presumably be Gerwig’s next project behind the camera, she will be seen in front of it when she co-stars alongside Adam Driver in Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo‘s great novel, White Noise. The book revolves around death-fearing couple who must confront their own mortality when faced with a toxic chemical that’s unleashed near their home.
Robbie will next be seen reprising her role as Harley Quinn in James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad, while she’s also been cast in high-profile projects such as Damien Chazelle‘s Babylon and David O. Russell‘s untitled new film.
According to Variety, production on Barbie will begin in early 2022 in London. The film doesn’t yet have a release date, but is expected to arrive sometime in 2023.
#Peace.Love.Barbie
