Raiding Your Toybox Part XXIII: Barbie Gets a Movie

Boy, talk about typecasting. Can you imagine what will happen to the young actress who lands the role of Barbie in Universal's upcoming live-action movie? Of course, it could be argued that Hollywood has tried for decades to mass produce Barbie after Barbie, but this time it's going to be the real deal. Da U and Mattel have inked a deal to bring the world's most famous doll to theaters, and producer Laurence Mark vows to "do her proud." Barbie has been around over 50 years, and if you were born with two X chromosomes, chances are, you played in her Dream House for hours. “Barbie is the most famous doll in history, a unique cultural icon in the world of brands,” said Universal's Marc Shmuger. “So many representations of Barbie frequent pop culture, but never before has she been brought to life in a motion picture. We’re grateful to Mattel for entrusting us with this extraordinary opportunity.” That's not completely accurate; Barbie has been the subject of a lot of direct-to-DVD releases, but in terms of theatrical releases, no, we've never had a Barbie movie before. Give Mattel's Richard Dickson credit for holding out so long. He tells Variety, “The utmost concern is to make sure every detail is right. Rather than a timetable, I’m more interested in making sure we deliver the right product.” Well, that's refreshing. Dickson adds that Barbie "wasn't ready for a movie" until now, explaining that she used to be a toy and is now a brand name that reaches across borders and entertainment channels, meaning the brand is completely ingrained in peoples' minds. In a way, this is the same model Disney has used for Hannah Montana, which had everything else before she was given her own movie. Obviously, Universal and Mattel have just renewed their licenses to print money here. It's very hard to see this missing the mark demographically no matter what the finished product looks like. And to that end, there is no direction yet for the film. It will be family friendly, but the studio and producers are looking to screenwriters to come up with the specific story.

Comments

[SEAN]

This is funny and interesting news, I mean I dont think many people saw a Barbie movie coming around, especially in this economic climate...

Also a question I have to all is...
-Will the actress be a newcomer???
-Or maybe they'll get an actress who already has been established to bring the film some credibility, so its not received as kinda of a joke...??

Because I can definitely see that happening......

Also I mean this can maybe I mean ***MAYBE*** work... Reese Witherspoon BLEW UP after LEGALLY BLONDE, that film made her a star....

Yeah what will the movie be even about?
-What will be the conflict?
-Even it is "family friendly" what will the plot line be?