Barbie Director Greta Gerwig Reveals When She Knew Margot Robbie Was "Magic"
The Barbie movie will be arriving in theaters next summer, and it is expected to deliver a wild and unexpected take on the iconic Mattel toy line. The film will be helmed by Lady Bird and Little Women director Greta Gerwig, and will star and be produced by Margot Robbie. As set photos tied to the film have already broken the Internet, every new comment about the film has only enticed fans more — and the latest from Gerwig is certainly no exception. A recent Vanity Fair profile on Robbie reveals the moment on set when Gerwig recognized that Robbie was "magic", involving a bizarre on-screen trick that she did while filming.
"Once, I wanted to capture Margot in slow motion but have everything else move fast, so I went up to her and said, 'Could you move at 48 frames per second, even though we're shooting in 24 frames per second and everyone else will be moving at regular speed?'" Gerwig explained. "She did some calculation behind her eyes and then f-cking did it. She literally moved at a higher frame rate. I don't know what category that goes into other than magic."
Who is the cast and crew of the Barbie movie?
Barbie will be directed by Gerwig, with a script from Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. Robbie, who had been rumored to be attached to the project since 2018, will also be producing the project through her LuckyChap banner. The cast of the project also includes America Ferrera (Superstore), Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Sex Education) Alexandra Shipp (tick, tick, ...Boom!), Will Ferrell (Anchorman), Issa Rae (Insecure), Michael Cera (Superbad), and Ariana Greenblatt (Avengers: Infinity War).
"Barbie is one of the most iconic franchises in the world and we are excited to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures and Margot Robbie to bring her to life on the big screen," Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel, said at the time. "We look forward to building on this collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures as we tell the stories of our beloved brands. Mattel Films is on a path to demonstrate the enormous potential of our brand portfolio, as we continue to execute on our strategy of transforming Mattel into an IP-driven, high performing toy company."
"Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity and communication throughout a child's journey to self-discovery," Robbie said in a press release at the time of the announcement. "Over the brand's almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president."
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Barbie will be released exclusively in theaters on July 21, 2023.