Intro

In today's Original episode, we offer you a preview of a somewhat unusual movie with an excellent cast. We are talking about "Barbie" from Warner Bros. Usually this is not the kind of release that would attract a lot of attention from film fans. But in this case, there are several factors that have attracted a lot of interest in Hollywood and beyond. Find out everything about the plot, cast and production of the project right now in this video. Enjoy!

Plot

Let's start with the story of "Barbie". Actually, what is least known so far is what plot the film follows. We do know that Barbie and Ken play the two leading roles, of course. Based on the official images, we can also guess that the movie is taking place in a brightly colored world. Some theories are already out there, including one or two quite plausible ones, which we can well imagine in the finished film. 

According to the fictional biography of the world's most famous doll, Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, daughter of George and Margaret Roberts of the fictional town of Millows, in Wisconsin. In an alternate narrative from Golden Books' "Generation Girl" book series, Barbie attended the fictional Manhattan International High School in New York City. In addition to her many hobbies, her private life centers on her lover Ken, whose real name is Kenneth Carson. Depending on the narrative, the two have an on-off relationship, broke up in the 2000s, or are even just neighbors or friends.

Since there is no definite backstory here, in theory the film could pick up on any of these constellations. Barbie's family also includes three younger sisters named Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea, as we have already seen from various appearances of the siblings in adapted movies or series. She also has a variety of friends, who also change depending on the stories. Particularly noteworthy are Barbie's countless pets, including exotic animals like a lion cub or a panda, but also common pets such as dogs, cats or horses. The same is true for her professions: for instance, she does not have one occupation, but a different one depending on the doll. It would probably be easier to tell which profession Barbie has NOT yet pursued, which is why the filmmakers are given unlimited creative freedom here as well.

As you can see, there are lots of possible ways of combining Barbie's personal life, but the most important aspect is certainly the question of her relationship with Ken. Regardless of whether the two are lovers, have an open relationship or are even just friends, the option chosen will have a decisive impact on the plot of the film, especially since Ken is one of the two main characters. But more on that later. 

A second important factor comes into play, and that is the choice of the director. Her name is Greta Gerwig, and in addition to directing the film, she also took on the task of writing the script. The screenplay resulted from a collaboration with filmmaker Noah Baumbach, who, for example, was the director of 2019's "Marriage Story" and is actually married to Gerwig. Greta Gerwig herself has also had a number of movies to her credit, including the coming-of-age movies "Lady Bird" and "Little Women". Gerwig is quite well-known in Hollywood's indie scene, as she enjoys telling stories that depart from classic Hollywood clichés while making more out of seemingly straightforward storylines than one might at first think. The focus is usually on a strong, emancipated woman who doesn't conform to the traditional role model that was frequently portrayed in films and television in the past. All in all, this is pretty much the opposite of what you would expect from a Barbie movie adaptation - but that's precisely what makes it so interesting. 

What exactly her vision for the new "Barbie" movie looks like is still a matter of speculation. One thing for sure is that she will have to pull off a major feat to not only turn a lifeless toy doll into an A-list movie, but also give it enough profundity to keep viewers from leaving the theater en masse after 20 minutes.

If you consider who directed and scripted this film, it becomes apparent that we are not dealing with a colorful world full of carefree, platinum blonde and silly Barbies, but that there is at least a large portion of feminism between the lines. One indication of this is a scene that has been passed down to us, in which Barbie hits a man for grabbing her butt.

Let's now deal with the only known piece of information that has already been officially revealed. On the movie's IMDB page, those responsible published a single sentence about the story. It basically states that a doll is banished from Barbieworld for not being perfect enough. Thereupon she begins an adventure in the real world. An unofficial continuation of the brief synopsis can be found in a tweet by the user @jasonosia, who elaborates on the story a bit more. He refers to unconfirmed details about the movie's storyline, according to which Barbieworld is composed of a lot of Barbies and a lot of Kens. The comedy then quickly turns toward the "fish out of water" style, he said. The idiom refers to a person suddenly having to cope in an environment that is completely new to them, much like... a fish out of water. Ken, in contrast, is a runaway from Barbieworld and a complete idiot, but he is madly in love with Barbie. Unlike her, he loves the real world, including the ideals of beauty and the prevailing sexism. Last but not least, Will Ferrell and America Ferrera are to play important parts. 

In summary, the film is reported to be a mix of Greta Gerwig's "Little Women", the films "Splash" and "The Truman Show", and a musical by Jacques Demy. In fact, the unconfirmed details provided by @jasonosia are so far the most credible information we have heard regarding the film's plot. 

Cast

Moving on to the cast of "Barbie", which is probably the number one reason why there is so much talk about the film. First, there's lead actress Margot Robbie, who is known from films like "The Wolf of Wall Street" and her performance as Harley Quinn in "Suicide Squad" and "Birds of Prey". Since her big breakthrough around ten years ago, she has become one of the most sought-after Hollywood actresses ever and obviously fits the role of Barbie perfectly. She is certainly convincing not only because of her appearance, which resembles the doll very much anyway, but also due to her gifted acting skills. If anyone manages to be convincing on both sides, it's probably Margot Robbie. 

No less well-known is the male star of the film adaptation. Of course, we are talking about Ryan Gosling, who is known from a wide range of films, including "Drive", "La La Land" and "Blade Runner 2049". There are already images of him as well, which have also caused quite a bit of positive publicity due to his iconic look. He, too, looks like a copycat of the male toy doll and likewise possesses the required acting skills to give the character the necessary amount of depth. 

As already mentioned, Will Ferrell will also be playing an important part. The legendary comedian can add his personal, distinctive touch to almost any movie. He will play the CEO of the US company Mattel, the manufacturer of the famous barbie dolls. It is also certain that Simu Liu will play another Ken. The "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" star will probably be one of many Kens. "Sex Education" actor Ncuti Gatwa will embody another version of the toy character as well. There are also confirmed castings on the Barbies' side, including "The Lovebirds" actress Issa Rae, and Hari Nef, who is known from "1Up", for instance. 

Still unclear is the role of America Ferrera, who should be familiar to most people from NBC's "Superstore". She previously thrilled audiences in the drama series "Ugly Betty". Other unknown roles are played by Michael Cera, Scott Evans, Kate McKinnon and Kingsley Ben-Adir. 

Overall, this is an extremely prestigious cast that will no doubt be capable of realizing the movie according to Greta Gerwig's ideas. 

Production

Finally, let's take a look at the production of "Barbie". In fact, initial work on a film loosely based on the toy character of the same name began as early as 2009. This led to a cooperation between Mattel and Universal Studios, which, however, did not result in anything. After that, Sony Pictures attempted to make a film adaptation and made significantly more progress than its competitor Universal. However, in this case, the deadline for the movie adaptation expired in October 2018 without a start of filming. Warner Bros. eventually took over the project and has maintained it to this day. In July 2019, Margot Robbie was the first to be signed on. The creative direction was then finally taken over a few months later by the Gerwig-Baumbach couple, who thus succeeded "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins. Gosling's signing was just about a year ago. Prior to that, it was unclear who would play the role of Ken. 

Sadly, there has been no trailer or other video footage yet, but one could already gain some first impressions through various pictures. Besides the officially published snapshots of the two main characters, there are also fairly new images from behind the scenes. Both main actors can be seen in neon-colored and very gaudy roller skating outfits on the beach. For Margot Robbie, the outfit is said to have been one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, as she herself confirmed on Jimmy Fallon's show. Shooting was completed at the end of July this year, and the release of "Barbie" is scheduled for July 21, 2023.

Outro

Now we hope you enjoyed our new Original! Generally speaking, what are your opinions on the ambitious idea of turning an iconic toy character into a feature film, and can you think of any other characters that might be worthy of a film or series adaptation? Drop us a line in the comments!