Playing Barbie “comes with a lot of baggage”

“Right, it comes with a lot of baggage!” Robbie told Vogue. “And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it. People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t…’”

This is the first confirmation that Gerwig will be directing the movie. Robbie, who was first announced to star as the title character in 2019, is set to produce via her production company LuckyChap Entertainment, while Gerwig is co-writing the film with her husband and Marriage Story director Noah Baumbach.

At the moment, it’s unclear what exactly the film will be about. Gerwig’s last two films, Lady Bird and Little Women, both had a strong feminist perspective, so we can expect the trend to continue in the director’s take on one of the world’s most famous toys. Similarly, Robbie’s production company has recently produced the female-centric Promising Young Woman and I, Tonya.

“Now, can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people?” Robbie previously told THR. “Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we’re really firing on all cylinders.”

L’Officiel USA