Barbie: Anne Hathaway Is Glad Her Version of the Movie Never Got Made
Hathaway reflects on her scrapped version of the Barbie movie.
Barbie became one of the biggest phenomenons of the year, with the live-action film grossing tons of money and having reverberations across pop culture. The film was already in the works for quite a while prior to writer-director Greta Gerwig and star-producer Margot Robbie joining the project, with one iteration of the film set to star Anne Hathaway. In a recent interview with Variety, Hathaway argued that the version of Barbie she was attached to just didn't work, and that Gerwig and Robbie delivered the best and brightest version possible.
"What's so exciting about what Greta and Margot and that phenomenal team [did] is they hit a bullseye," Hathaway said. "The bullseye caused the entire world to reach this level of ecstasy. Now imagine that version … that much energy, that much anticipation, that much emotion … but it's not the right version. I actually think of it as a lucky thing [it didn't get made]."
"Margot is sublime," Hathaway continued. "What she is doing as a creative person and a producer is so exciting and inspiring. The mythic giants they toppled with ['Barbie'] that have kept certain narratives in place that have not allowed opportunities to develop for so many people … they ran straight through it! Just as a cinemagoer and as a woman in Hollywood since I was a kid, I'm thrilled by the development. If I believed that the version I was attached to could have done that, I might feel differently about it, but I genuinely think their film was the best possible version. It's easy just to be thrilled and happy [for them]. I love watching women kill it. To do so well, so undeniably that they actually had to write new records … come on! I think it will probably make things better."
Will There Be a Barbie Sequel?
According to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, there are currently no options or deals in place for director and co-writer Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling to return for a Barbie sequel. Robbie, in particular, is reportedly not obligated to return to her role of Stereotypical Barbie, but could return as a producer on a Barbie sequel if she wanted to. As the report outlines, Warner Bros. Pictures "made overtures" about Gerwig possibly returning to direct a Barbie sequel, but her team delayed those talks until the first film's debut. With negotiations around new projects on hold until the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over, there's a chance that Gerwig, Robbie, and Gosling could return for a new Barbie movie — but they would probably have to negotiate much more lucrative contracts, in response to the film's box office performance. Gerwig has indicated that she currently does not have any ideas for a sequel film.
"At this moment, it's all I've got," Gerwig revealed. "I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I'll never have another idea and everything I've ever wanted to do, I did. I wouldn't want to squash anybody else's dream but for me, at this moment, I'm at totally zero."
What do you think of Anne Hathaway's new comments about Barbie? How do you feel about her version of the movie not getting made? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
