CinemaCon is in full swing in Las Vegas and on Tuesday, Warner Bros. presented their panel, offering up new information and fresh looks at some of the studio’s most anticipated films, including Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Tuesday’s presentation treated attendees to a new trailer for the upcoming film and within the footage was a major reveal about John Cena’s character: he’s playing a merman.
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ComicBook.com was in attendance at CinemaCon when the footage was shared and in it was included some new looks at Barbie’s world and its occupants, including a mermaid-type Ken played by Cena. This is the first major information fans have gotten about Cena’s role in the upcoming film, though it had previously been reported that he would be playing the love interest for Dua Lipa’s character. Character posters for the film released earlier this month revealed that Dua Lipa is playing Mermaid Barbie. As for what version of a merman Ken Cena may be portraying, we’ll have to wait for more information for that but in terms of the actual dolls, there have been a few takes on a merman Ken over the years — including a Barbie Signature King Ocean Ken from 2021.
Barbie cast discuss the upcoming movie.
During the CinemaCon panel, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrara, and Gerwig took the stage to talk about the film, with Gerwig revealing that it was Robbie who brought her on the Barbie journey.
“Margot is the person who invited me on this journey,” Gerwig said. “It was such an incredibly joyful experience, writing and making this movie…When I was writing it with Noah, there was just a point where we’re just making each other laugh all the time and then we got to the end and we started making each other cry.”
Gosling also spoke about his Ken, commenting that at one point, he doubted his own “Ken-ergy.”
“I doubt my Ken-ergy,” Gosling said, before explaining that he quickly got up to speed.
“It just came on like a fever really. Like a pink fever,” he added.
What do we know about the Barbie movie?
Warner Bros. Pictures has a synopsis for the movie: “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”) comes “Barbie,” starring Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie (“Bombshell,” “I, Tonya”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “Half Nelson”) as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera (“End of Watch,” the “How to Train Your Dragon” films), Kate McKinnon (“Bombshell,” “Yesterday”), Michael Cera (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Juno”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “65”), Issa Rae (“The Photograph,” “Insecure”), Rhea Perlman (“I’ll See You in My Dreams,” “Matilda”), and Will Ferrell (the “Anchorman” films, “Talladega Nights”).”
“The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne (“Little Women”), Emma Mackey (“Emily,” “Sex Education”), Hari Nef (“Assassination Nation,” “Transparent”), Alexandra Shipp (the “X-Men” films), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami,” “Peaky Blinders”), Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Scott Evans (“Grace and Frankie”), Jamie Demetriou (“Cruella”), Connor Swindells (“Sex Education,” “Emma.”), Sharon Rooney (“Dumbo,” “Jerk”), Nicola Coughlan (“Bridgerton,” “Derry Girls”), Ritu Arya (“The Umbrella Academy”), Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”).”
Barbie will be released exclusively in theaters on July 21st.
