Amy Schumer to Play ‘Barbie’ in Live-Action Movie, So Now We Know What to Expect
Sony’s live-action Barbie movie project has had a bit of a bumpy development process, initially hiring Diablo Cody to pen the screenplay (yay!) before tossing it out (boo!) and hiring three more (!) writers to deliver competing screenplays (huh?) — leaving us with little idea of what to expect from this wacky film. That drastically changed today, as Amy Schumer has officially been cast in the title role in the Barbie movie, which has an official screenplay and everything.
Deadline reports that Schumer has signed on to play the eponymous role in the live-action Barbie movie, which is simply titled Barbie. About a year ago, Sony tapped Lindsey Beer, Bert Royal and Hillary Winston to pen competing screenplays, and according to the latest report, Winston’s script was the winner — though Schumer will give those pages a polish before production begins in the spring.
With the brand recognition of Mattel’s most iconic line and a PG rating, Sony plans on making Barbie a blockbuster event with a summer 2018 release. Mattel has officially signed off on Winston’s script, which centers on Schumer’s Barbie, one of myriad versions of the famous doll living in Barbieland (which boasts over 180 different Barbies with various careers). The story really picks up when Schumer’s Barbie, who’s a bit of an eccentric, is kicked out of her fictional doll paradise for not conforming to the Barbie standards of perfection. Winston’s script offers a meta-twist, sending Barbie to the real world where she learns about self-acceptance and that true beauty and perfection is found on the inside — lessons she ultimately brings back to Barbieland.
The story has a great message for young women and fits perfectly with Mattel’s ongoing efforts to diversify Barbie’s image by embracing women of different shapes, sizes and colors. Though the company still has room for improvement, we have seen some great concepts emerge from their line over the years, including an Ava DuVernay Barbie (which is just, like, the coolest). Casting Schumer is smart, too: The comedian and actor has been outspoken about how she does not conform to typical, retrograde beauty standards, and how her shape represents the average woman.
Plus, now we know with 100 percent certainty that this Barbie movie is going to be hilarious.