The Golden Globes may be tonight, but the Oscars are still over two months off. Heck, the nominations haven’t even been announced yet. When they do, they may include a screenplay nod for Barbie, currently the 14th highest grossing motion picture (not adjusted for inflation, of course). But there’s a catch: Greta Gerwig’s blindingly pink comedy is reportedly being considered for the Adapted branch, not the Original one, despite it being an original story, based only on a toy brand. That decision has caused some uproar, including from fellow comedy maker Judd Apatow.
It’s insulting to the writers to say they were working off of existing material. There was no existing material or story. There was a clear box. https://t.co/8phHXmag7Q
— Judd Apatow
(@JuddApatow) January 6, 2024
“It’s insulting to the writers to say they were working off of existing material,” Apatow wrote on Twitter/X, as caught by Variety. “There was no existing material or story. There was a clear box.”
Does the director of Funny People have a point? Gerwig and her cowriter/now-husband Noah Baumbach were only “adapting” a line of dolls. They came up with a completely original story — one so out-there even they can’t believe they got away with it. (They still had to fight for some of what became the more popular moments, such as that “I’m Just Ken” song and dance.)
Moreover, it’s not like Warner Bros. Discovery, its parent company, thought they had a better chance for a nomination if they went the Adapted route. Indeed, they were gunning for Original.
The nominations are still a bit away, so there’s some chance, at least, for the Academy to let Barbie compete against the likes of May December (itself loosely inspired by a real life story), not fellow release date buddy Oppenheimer.
(Via Variety)