After Barbie, Mattel Plans Barney, Polly Pocket, and More Movies in Near Future

Mattel are planning to follow up Barbie with over a dozen movies based on their properties, throwing their hat into the ring to try and take hold of the fad that follows the flagging superhero genre at the box office. With Barbie taking the world by storm this past weekend and about to roll past $500 million at the global box office, it’s easy to wonder what Mattel has going on next — and the answers are both surprising, and not. There have been a number of properties already teased, but a new rundown of Mattel’s plans provides some context for what to expect and, at least at first, it sounds like the Barbie model may be a pretty good indicator of where they’re planning to go.

From a Being John Malkovich-inspired Barney to a “grounded and gritty Hot Wheels, there are plans to expand Mattel’s universe out from this initial success. Mattel boss Ynon Kreiz broke down some of the plans in an interview with Variety.

“At the outset, we’re not saying, ‘Okay, let’s think already about movie two and three.’ Let’s get the first one right and make that a success. And if you do that, opportunities open up very quickly, once you establish the first movie as a successful representation of a franchise on the big screen….Successful movies lend themselves to more movies. “Our ambition is to create film franchises.”

Here’s the first few movies planned, per synopses shared with Variety:

Barney

Producer: Daniel Kaluuya

The iconic purple dinosaur will inspire a live-action film that Mattel has previously described as an “A24-type” of “surrealistic” movie. Now, producer Robbie Brenner, who heads up Mattel Studios, tells Variety, “I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to be darker. It’s just going to be unique — more of like a ‘Being John Malkovich’ or an ‘Adaptation.’”

Polly Pocket

Studio: MGM
Star: Lily Collins
Writer/Director: Lena Dunham

The “Emily In Paris” star will star as the micro-doll in a family comedy written and directed by the “Girls” creator.

Brenner confirms to Variety that there is a script, which she enthusiastically describes as a “great” script. “First of all, they are two of my favorite ladies ever,” Brenner says of Collins and Dunham. “It’s been an amazing collaboration. Lena is so collaborative and rolls up her sleeves and really likes to roll around in notes and listen. She’s incredible. Lily is so smart and so specific and so productorial. It’s just been an incredible collaboration, so we are thrilled about it. Hopefully, we’ll be making that at some point in the future.”

Hot Wheels

Studio: Warner Bros.
Producer: JJ Abrams

The top-selling toy in the world will be brought to life in a film that features cars, monster trucks and motorcycles.

Abrams has described the adaptation as “grounded and gritty.” Brenner tells Variety that his words mean that the film will have “real characters that you can relate to, that are three-dimensional, that have emotional journeys.” She adds, “Look at any J.J. Abrams movie. All of his movies have an incredible story and incredible characters. That was something that was important to him — to make a movie that’s not just going to be fun and exciting, but that has real emotion and real stakes to it.”

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots

Studio: Universal
Star: Vin Diesel
Writer: Ryan Engle

The “Fast & Furious” star will lead a feature based on Mattel’s tabletop game of battling robots. “Vin is excited,” Brenner says. “We’re working on developing a script and we’re all very excited about it.”

American Girl

A family comedy is in development, based on the world of dolls, content and experiences that Mattel says “help girls grow with confidence and develop character.” Brenner is tight-lipped, but promises, “We have something great in the works.”