Greta Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated American actor-filmmaker, is set to direct Margot Robbie in the upcoming live-action film Barbie, which revolves around toy company Mattel’s iconic doll of the same name, according to a report in Variety.
In 2019, Gerwig, who made her directorial debut with Lady Bird (2017), was signed as a co-writer for Barbie along with Noah Baumbach. Speculations were rife since then that she would direct the film too. This seemed confirmed in June when Robbie mentioned in a cover interview for Vogue UK’s August issue that Gerwig’s creative vision would extend past the screenplay and into the director’s chair, reports Variety, adding that other sources have now confirmed the development.
The production of Barbie will commence in early 2022 at Warner Bros’ Leavesden Studios in London, after Gerwig and Baumbach wrap up their upcoming feature drama White Noise, which stars Gerwig and is written and directed by Baumbach.
Barbie is set to release theatrically in 2023, Variety added.
Speaking about Barbie in her Vogue interview, Robbie had said that the film “comes with a lot of baggage and a lot of nostalgic connections,” adding that this meant there were a “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…’”
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Though Barbie’s plot details have not yet been revealed, Robbie had earlier told Variety that it will serve as a “great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger kids.”
The film is produced by Robbie under her home banner LuckyChap Entertainment, along with Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara, as well as Robbie Brenner and Ynon Kreiz of Mattel, and David Heyman.