‘Barbie’ Movie Plans Reportedly Scrapped at Sony

Months after losing star Amy Schumer, Barbie is dead at Sony, with the studio officially removing the toy franchise adaptation from its release calendar.

The movie has been in development at Sony since 2014, with names like Juno writer Diablo Cody and Trainwreck star Schumer attached to it during that time.

There are already reports that Mattel has brought the property to Warner Bros., with an eye toward getting Margot Robbie to star.

That Mattel is shopping the property around is arguably not surprising; it was they who spearheaded the attempt at making Barbie a big screen reality to begin with.

“Barbie has entertained children and inspired their imagination and creativity for more than 50 years,” said Tim Kilpin, Mattel’s EVP of Global Brands. “Now is the right time in Barbie’s celebrated history for her to star in a live-action, contemporary comedy that brings her playful personality to life for generations of fans.”

The character of Barbie has starred in numerous direct-to-home-release animated films.

The Sony film was originally slated for a summer 2018 release, but had been pushed back following Schumer’s exit. That movie was said to center around a story where Schumer was essentially the odd Barbie out, living in Barbieland but not as perfect as everyone else in a fish-out-of-water story a la Big and Splash.

Whether or not the planned film at Warner Bros. follows this same concept is unknown.

Given Robbie’s relationship with the studio, it would make perfect sense that she starred as the titular character in the adaptation, having been the breakout hit in Suicide Squad. Robbie’s next project with Warner Bros. is Birds of Prey, which will feature Harley Quinn, Dinah Lance/Black Canary, Helena Bertinelli/Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and Renee Montoya.

Directed by Cathy Yan, Robbie previously described the dynamic of the new film.

“I pitched the idea of an R-rated girl gang film including Harley, because I was like, ‘Harley needs friends.’ Harley loves interacting with people, so don’t ever make her do a standalone film,” Robbie said in a previous interview. “She’s got to be with other people, it should be a girl gang. I wasn’t seeing enough girl gangs on screen, especially in the action space. So that was always a big part of it.”

Stay tuned for details on the Barbie adaptation.

h/t: Exhibitor Relations