Come on, Barbie, let’s go party. Whether we want it to or not, that iconic Aqua song is pulsing through our veins as we anticipate the upcoming big-screen Barbie movie. She is no stranger to the screen, though. The iconic Mattel doll is, after all, the star of a whole animated cinematic universe. But now she’s getting the Hollywood treatment with a live-action film. Margot Robbie stars as the titular blonde girlboss, and she has a whole lot of star power with her—both in front of and behind the camera.
Of course, the universe will be full of Kens and Barbies. But one Ken we haven’t gotten a good look at yet is John Cena’s mermaid Ken or “Kenmaid” character from Barbie. Though we still don’t have a full look at Cena’s outfit, most importantly, his tale, we do like what we see so far. Flowing blonde locks, a shell necklace, and no shirt… What more could we ask for? We just hope this Ken’s tail is nice and glittery.
Here’s everything we know about Barbie, the movie.
Title
Warner Bros. and Mattel are keeping it simple with this one, calling the movie Barbie.
Barbie‘s Plot
So far, Warner Bros. and Mattel are keeping on the down low about Barbie‘s plot. But given the castings we know the ensemble film will include at least a few familiar figures from the Mattel world. In addition to the titular character, her on-again/off-again boyfriend Ken is a major figure. And there may even be more than one. Plus, this is a film from Greta Gerwig (and Noah Baumbach). So it wouldn’t be too surprising if they throw in a couple surprises. Will we see a wistful or melancholy Barbie in the movie, trying to move on from her himbo love? Or will we follow Barbie on a coming-of-age journey as she figures out what her dream job really is? With Gerwig at the helm and this stacked cast, we’re game for just about anything.
Barbie‘s first teaser offered us a lot to think about as well. You can watch below and check out our full breakdown of Barbie‘s trailer, including its 2001: A Space Odyssey references and recreations.
Barbie‘s second trailer, meanwhile, brought us something a little bit more conventional, but no less excellent. Although neither trailer included Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” the track will be sampled in a song on the soundtrack in the Barbie movie’s soundtrack, phew!
Most recently, Barbie shared a slew of witty posters with us, teasing its full cast of Kens, Barbies, humans, and more. We definitely can’t wait to see how they come together in the movie. We have a feeling we will soon enter a fantastic world like no other.
— Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) April 4, 2023
— Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) April 4, 2023
Behind the Scenes
Greta Gerwig will write and direct the film, with real-life partner Noah Baumbach co-writing the script for the Barbie movie. Robbie and Tom Ackerley are also producing the film through their LuckyChap Entertainment production company. Mattel’s Robbie Brenner and David Heyman also produce.
Barbie‘s Cast
As stated above, Margot Robbie, who is also producing the movie, is Barbie. Ryan Gosling is playing Ken. Joining them are Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Ncuti Gatwa, Emerald Fennell, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Ana Cruz Kayne, Connor Swindells, Ritu Arya, Jamie Demetriou, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and Hari Nef. Dua Lipa has all come aboard. It is quite a cast, to say the least!
In addition, we now know that Will Ferrell will play “the CEO of Mattel.” According to the actor, the role is “that guy who’s just insensitive but weird.” At CinemaCon 2023, we also learned that John Cena would play the role of mermaid Ken. Sounds exciting.
Barbie’s Release Date
Barbie releases on July 21, 2023.
Originally published in 2023.
