Top 10 Behind the Scenes Facts About the Barbie Movie
#10: The “Barbie” Movies That Never Were
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Mattel has been pursuing a Barbie movie as far back as 2009 when they entered a deal with Universal and Laurence Mark, who produced “Jerry Maguire” and “Dreamgirls.” When that film failed to materialize, Mattel took “Barbie” to Sony in 2014. The script endured multiple rewrites with Oscar winner Diablo Cody attached at one point. By late 2016, Amy Schumer was in talks to star as Barbie and help revise the script. Schumer dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and creative differences. Anne Hathaway was eyed for the role, but Sony’s option on the film ultimately expired. The project landed at Warner Bros. where Patty Jenkins was rumored as a possible director. In the end, WB enlisted a surprising talent to bring Barbie to life.
#9: An Auteur Creative Team
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Breaking out as an actress and writer, Greta Gerwig made her solo directorial debut with the Oscar-nominated “Lady Bird.” She followed up that teen dramedy with 2019’s “Little Women,” an adaptation that made us feel like we were experiencing the classic source material for the first time. Gerwig has kept us guessing with each new project, but few expected her to helm a “Barbie” movie next. She was initially brought on as a co-writer with her partner Noah Baumbach, who Gerwig collaborated with on films like “Greenberg” and “Frances Ha.” With the script written during the pandemic, it was later announced that Gerwig would also direct. Going in, Gerwig admitted to having some insecurities about the project, but decided to tackle it all the same.
#8: Brought to You by Mattel Films
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Mattel is a toy manufacturer first and foremost, but the company is no stranger to feature film. Mattel Productions had a hand in a few 70s pictures like the Oscar-nominated “Sounder.” Mattel is primarily associated with direct-to-video releases, many starring an animated Barbie. This live-action film marks the first release under the Mattel Films division, which “Dallas Buyers Club” producer Robbie Brenner was hired to oversee in 2018. Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz has called “Barbie” a “catalyst” for more films based on the company’s properties. Looking forward, Mattel Films already has a live-action “Masters of the Universe” movie slated for 2024. Films about Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, Barney, and more are on the table as well. Barbie has always been a trendsetter.
#7: Margot Robbie Addresses “Baggage”
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Anyone who dream-casted Margot Robbie as Barbie got their wish in July 2019 when she was confirmed for the role. Considering that Robbie has played figures like Tonya Harding and Queen Elizabeth I, Barbie might seem like a lighthearted detour. As Robbie mentioned in an interview, though, Barbie “comes with a lot of baggage! And a lot of nostalgic connections.” Having been in the zeitgeist for more than 60 years, Barbie is a much more challenging character to tackle than some might realize. At the same time, the character’s lengthy history provides a lot of exciting ways to approach her. Robbie acknowledged that people might expect one thing when they hear “Barbie,” but she promises “something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted.”
#6: A Stacked Cast of Barbies, Kens, & More
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Margot Robbie is Barbie, but she isn’t the only Barbie. Robbie reunites with her “Bombshell” co-star Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie. There’s a Barbie for virtually every profession, from Issa Rae’s President Barbie, to Alexandra Shipp’s Writer Barbie, to Sharon Rooney’s Lawyer Barbie. Ryan Gosling’s Ken will clash with his athletic counterparts, including one played by Simu Liu and another played by John Cena. This world isn’t purely comprised of Barbies and Kens. Michael Cera is “Ken’s Buddy” Allan and Emerald Fennell stars as a pregnant version of Barbie’s forgotten bestie, Midge. The names keep coming with America Ferrera as a Mattle employee, Will Ferrell as the CEO, and Helen Mirren narrating. This movie has just about everybody other than Gal Gadot, who wasn’t available.
#5: Why Ryan Gosling Agreed to Play Ken
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Ryan Gosling broke the internet with the first look at his denim-laced Ken. Gosling described the “Barbie” script as the best he’d ever read, but it was fate that convinced him to take the role. Not long after he was offered the part, Gosling ventured into his backyard. Next to a squashed lemon was one of his daughter’s Ken dolls, face down in the mud. In the abandoned doll, Gosling saw a discarded soul whose story needed to be shared with the world. Texting a photo of the forsaken plaything to Greta Gerwig, Gosling told her that he would be her Ken. Oh, and to those who think he’s too old for the role, Gosling is calling out your “hypocrisy” for suddenly caring about Ken.
#4: The Oscar-Winning & Oscar-Nominated Talent
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As impressive as the cast is, the behind-the-scenes talent is just as gifted. We’re not just talking about the director and writers, but the artisans who made Barbie’s world a reality. The film was shot by Rodrigo Prieto, who has earned three Oscar nominations for his cinematography on “Brokeback Mountain,” “Silence,” and “The Irishman.” Production designer Sarah Greenwood is a six-time Oscar nominee, her credits including the live-action “Beauty and the Beast” and several Joe Wright pictures. Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran has two Oscars for Wright’s “Anna Karenina” and Gerwig’s “Little Women.” Alexandre Desplat nearly composed the score, but duties ultimately fell to Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, two of the co-writers on the Oscar-winning “Shallow.” It might be early, but for your consideration: “Barbie.”
#3: A New Version of “Barbie Girl”
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The “Barbie” soundtrack is sure to be a must-buy with contributions from Lizzo and Dua Lipa. Gosling even gets a song entitled “I’m Just Ken.” However, fans were disappointed when it was announced that Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” wouldn’t be featured in the film. It’s been theorized that this is due to the legal battle between Mattel and MCA Records. Although Mattel argued that the song committed copyright infringement, “Barbie Girl” was protected under parody. A 2009 Mattle advertisement would ironically use a modified version of the song, but the 1997 Danish hit will nonetheless be absent from Barbie’s cinematic debut. Thankfully, Aqua is collaborating with Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj on a remake of the song entitled “Barbie World,” which will be in the picture.
#2: Creative Inspirations
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Gerwig and Baumbach were given something that artists rarely have when writing for a billion-dollar IP: full creative control. With this freedom, their inspiration expanded beyond Mattel’s doll. The script is just as much an adaptation of Mary Pipher’s “Reviving Ophelia,” which explored societal pressures that adolescent American girls face and the psychological effects. Barbie was referenced multiple times in that 1994 non-fiction book with then-16-year-old Prudence saying, “I refuse to play the designer-clothes game. I’m not a Barbie doll.” Visually, Gerwig drew inspiration from soundstage Technicolor musicals, most notably “The Red Shoes” and “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” Gerwig even came up with a special name for the film’s color template: “Techni-Barbie.” Adaptation-wise, the franchise has come a long way since “Barbie in the Nutcracker.”
#1: The Abstract Poem That Landed Greta Gerwig the Gig
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The Apostles’ Creed served as another inspiration for Gerwig. The director compared the Christian creed to an abstract poem that she wrote for the film treatment. How abstract? According to Margot Robbie, “super abstract.” While the poem itself has yet to be made public, the idea of creation was on Gerwig’s mind while writing. In a Vogue interview, Gerwig said, “Barbie was invented first. Ken was invented after Barbie, to burnish Barbie’s position in our eyes and in the world. That kind of creation myth is the opposite of the creation myth in Genesis.” Gerwig was raised Unitarian Universalist, attending an all-girls Catholic school. This shined through in “Lady Bird” and Gerwig’s upbringing seemingly played a key role in the conception of “Barbie” as well.
