It appears everything has finally been settled, and the Margot Robbie Barbie movie is finally moving ahead at Warner Bros.
A film based on Barbie has been in the planning stages for ages, but there has never been any really solid movement on it. Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad) came on as a producer some time ago and things seemed to pick up as toymaker Mattel also made it more of a priority to start a film division.
“This project is a great start to our partnership with Ynon (Kreiz, chairman and CEO of Mattel) and Mattel Films,” Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, told Variety. “And Margot is the ideal producer and actress to bring Barbie to life on screen in a fresh and relevant way for today’s audiences.”
“Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity and communication throughout a child’s journey to self-discovery. Over the brand’s almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president,” said Robbie. “I’m so honored to take on this role and produce a film that I believe will have a tremendously positive impact on children and audiences worldwide. I can’t imagine better partners than Warner Bros and Mattel to bring this film to the big screen.”
“Barbie is one of the most iconic franchises in the world and we are excited to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures and Margot Robbie to bring her to life on the big screen,” said Kreiz. “We look forward to building on this collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures as we tell the stories of our beloved brands. Mattel Films is on a path to demonstrate the enormous potential of our brand portfolio, as we continue to execute on our strategy of transforming Mattel into an IP-driven, high performing toy company.”
Mattel is currently in a state of flux as it faces some economic issues. The company announced several months ago it was laying off 2,200 workers, but things have looked up slightly with the recent announcement it had signed a deal with K-pop sensation BTS.
With Toy Fair mere weeks away, it sounds like Mattel will be one of the hottest meetings at the show. Stay tuned as we bring you all of the coverage from the show.
