The movie that doesn’t sound real keeps getting even more out-there. It seemed odd when it was announced Greta Gerwig would follow up Little Women with a Barbie film, to be co-written with her partner Noah Baumbach, no less. Then they cast Margot Robbie. Then Ryan Gosling as Ken. Then Michael Cera and Issa Rae. Then Simu Liu. Then the first look looked pretty great. Now what already sounded like the most ambitious movie ever made about a line of sexist dolls is getting even more mad.
And, by the same token, Margot Robbie is not the film’s only Barbie. Issa Rae and Hari Nef play different Barbies…
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 18, 2022
The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan took to Twitter with some rumors about what exactly this increasingly swelling ensemble of all-stars will be doing. What he’s been hearing is Robbie and Gosling are not the film’s only Barbies and Kens. Instead, there will be multiple iterations of each one, of multiple ethnicities. As per Buchanan, Liu and Ncuti Gatwa, the Sex Education break-out recently cast to be the next lead on Doctor Who, will play other Kens. Meanwhile, Rae Hari Nef, seen on And Just Like That… and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, will hold down the fort as other Barbies.
Details about the plot are being kept secret, but this news opens up even more questions. Questions like, what’s gong on here? And does this mean about other cast members, like Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, and Rhea Perlman? Will the entire cast be made of alternate versions of Barbie and Ken? Will this be a multiverse deal, only more Everything Everywhere All at Once and less Doctor Strange 2?
Whatever happens, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie will be another eclectic movie adapted from unusual source material, joining such august company as Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! (trading cards), The LEGO Movie (plastic bricks), The Angry Birds Movie (app), The Emoji Movie (emojis), and The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (stickers).
In the meantime, Barbie is scheduled to hit theaters on July 21 of next year.
(Via Kyle Buchanan’s Twitter)