Last December, Amy Schumer was entering into final talks to play Barbie, in a film about Barbie dolls. Like, Barbie would be a real person living in Barbie world and Amy Schumer would play Barbie. It sounded bad and Amy sounded like the wrong person for the movie. Months later, everyone came to that same realization, and Amy pulled out of it citing scheduling conflicts. They’ve been searching for a new Barbie ever since. Maybe they’ve found the New Barbie… and she’s a brunette! Sacrilege! Oscar winner Anne Hathaway is in negotiations to play Barbie now and I don’t know how to feel.
Anne Hathaway is getting behind the wheel of the pink dream convertible for Sony’s Barbie movie. The Oscar winner is in negotiations to star in the long-in-the-works feature project, putting on the outfit that was originally going to be worn by Amy Schumer. (Schumer was announced to star in December, but dropped out in March, citing “scheduling conflicts.”)
At the same time, rising Australian director Alethea Jones is in talks to helm the pic after being handpicked by Hathaway, who was integral in the search for a filmmaker.
The Barbie movie (at least, the Schumer version) was to turn the classic Barbie mythology on its head, putting a contemporary spin on the toy with an emphasis on feminism and identity. The script told of a woman that slowly awakens to the fact that she doesn’t fit into the perfect land of Barbies and journeys to the real world, where she discovers that being unique is an asset. The fish-out-of-water tale is supposed to be in the vein of Big or Enchanted.
The studio is still eyeing a June 29, 2018, release, but one issue that is keeping things in flux is Hathaway’s schedule. Sony is hesitant to move the release date, and there’s a chance that if Hathaway’s schedule isn’t worked out in a satisfactory way, a deal may not be made.
As I was looking through photos of Anne Hathaway, I saw a recent pic of Anne with Emily Blunt and I actually thought, “ooh, Emily Blunt would be able to do Barbie!” No disrespect to Hathaway (I love her), but this does not sound like the project she should be undertaking. TOO BRUNETTE! No, she can do silly and she can do stuff like Enchanted or Big. But I just feel like this is a weird fit? Emily Blunt might do it a lot better.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
This movie sounds like a disaster and will flop regardless of who is cast as Barbie. I’m just shocked that names like Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway are even considering it. It’s like they want a flop movie added to their resume.
I wonder about that…I’m not Anne’s biggest fan but she is a good actress, does she really need to consider to star in this kind of movie? Sounds super lame.
Maybe this speaks to what is really available to women in film? Crap.
I’d cast her as Raquel and Sienna Miller as Midge (sp?)…they would fit those characters really well. Not that i ever indulge watching “Life in the dream house” through Netflix with my daughter…cough… i like the “Primp my ride” episode. :-p Those short episodes are actually sort of creative and fun…i can’t stand the animated movies though. If they did the movie to the style of the short “life in the dream house” episodes i’d totally watch it with my baby girl.
This seems to be perfect for Ana Faris, I loved her in The House Bunny…don’t judge.
Yes! I like your idea, i think Ana Faris would play Barbie really well.
But she’s too tiny. Barbie is tall and busty. (And I loved House Bunny, too!) 😊
Reese.
Reese has the blonde/blue eyed part down but she seems too dull to play Barbie. Ana Faris, like Pla mentioned above would have more of the Barbie plasticky spark the character needs…i think
Weirdly, I think this could work. It’s a curveball casting rumor that has made this project slightly more interesting to me. I’m keen to hunt down the script now, because there’s got to be something in it that’s making it possible to be shopped around some big names.
Anne is a stronger actress than Emily, so I’m pleased with this. But isn’t Barbie in this movie supposed to be a plain jane? Anne is too pretty for the role then.
She played plain Jane pretty well for half a movie in The Princess Diaries, so I’m sure she could do it again.
It’s a sad state of affairs- nothing new I understand- that an Oscar winner has to compete to play Barbie. BARBIE.
Yup. This. 100000 times over. The female oscar curse is alive and well I see.
Not all Barbies were blonde! Mine was a brunette, like my mother.
Anne can do better, but let’s not stick Emily Blunt with this crap either. I’m going to cross my fingers that she drops out like Amy Schumer did and that this abomination is never filmed.
“The script told of a woman that slowly awakens to the fact that she doesn’t fit into the perfect land of Barbies and journeys to the real world, where she discovers that being unique is an asset.”
What a boring, unoriginal idea for a plot. I’m guessing in “the land of Barbies,” all the women are airheaded and obedient and are suspicious of Barbie for being “different” and doing things women shouldn’t do like reading books or thinking she’s equal to men.
That’s what I was thinking. I’m actually not totally opposed to the idea of this movie (and I have young-ish kids to watch it with) but I’m going to need the movie to have a better plot that!! The movie they are talking about making has been done a hundred times before- next!
I think Anne is actually a great fit. not someone I would have ever thought of, but her eternal optimism and bubbliness fits in well with the brand. sadly my 2 y/o is in love with everything Barbie and I have watched more Barbie movies and Tv shows then one sane person should ever have to watch. and I could honestly see her in this role, and I wouldn’t mind my daughter emulating Annie H, I think she is not bad as far as role models go.
I like this casting too.
She looks like she could play Michael Jackson, judging from the first photo.