Venerable toy brands like Hasbro
and LEGO have long cottoned to the fact that they could give their product
lines new leases on life by adapting them to various media. They could range
from videogames to big-budget, possibly live-action, films (in case of Hasbro’s
“Transformers” and G.I. Joe”) or animated (in case of “The LEGO Movie”). Their
fellow big-name brand Mattel has made its own entertainment inroads, recently
with several “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” animated productions, and
longer still, with home-released animated “Barbie” films. They have been
developing a live-action movie for that starring Margot Robbie. And now they
have cast Ken.
Deadline Hollywood tells us that Mattel and Warner Bros. Pictures
have gotten a top actor to portray the role of Barbie’s significant other in
their planned live-action film. Interestingly, the star they got was their
previous choice, one who had originally turned down the role due to scheduling
conflicts. Long story short, actor Ryan Gosling is now set to play Ken opposite
Margot Robbie’s Barbie in a story co-written by Noah Baumbach (Netflix’s “Marriage
Story”) and Greta Gerwig (“Little Women” 2020), who is also directing.
Fans of movies based on
long-running toy lines were shocked back in July to learn that Mattel not only
was planning a live-action “Barbie” movie with Warner Bros., but have also tapped
Australian movie star Robbie (Harley Quinn herself) to portray the lead role.
Gosling had also been approached at the time to costar as Ken. When he said no,
the studio actually decided to wait until he might change his mind. Inside
sources reveal that the actor finally decided to give the script a go once an
opening in his schedule showed up. The production hopes to begin filming in
early 2022 in hopes of premiering sometime in 2023.
Margot Robbie had long spoken of
the “baggage” that comes with taking on the role of one of the world’s most
famous doll characters. She also hopes that the expectations of brand fans
regarding a “Barbie” movie might change considering the creative forces writing
and directing it. Robbie is also a co-producer of the project via her LuckyChap
Production banner.
Image courtesy of The Wrap
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