Warner Bros.’ upcoming Barbie movie has just added a recent Marvel Cinematic Universe superstar. On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Simu Liu is in negotiations to join the upcoming film, which will star Margot Robbie as the titular toy icon. It is unclear at this point who Liu, who most recently starred as Shang-Chi in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, would be portraying. Barbie will be directed by Greta Gerwig with a script from her and Noah Baumbach, and a cast that also includes America Ferrera and Ryan Gosling.
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Robbie, whoย had been rumored to be attached to the project since 2018, will also be producing the project through her LuckyChap banner. The film has been in the works for quite some time, after years of Sony attempting an adaptation starring Amy Schumer.
“Barbie is one of the most iconic franchises in the world and we are excited to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures andย Margot Robbieย to bring her to life on the big screen,” Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel,ย 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.”
This news comes after Liu has been confirmed to returning to the role of Shang-Chi in an upcoming sequel film, with many fans hoping that he will reprise his role in additional MCU installments as well.
“The early reactions to the characters and to [Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings] itself gives me great hope that that people will want to see more of these characters,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feigeย toldย ComicBookย in August. “We certainly have many ideas of where to take them and where to put them. What’s so fun, we know the movie’s working when it’s not just the title character that people ask about, but it is the co-stars or the supporting players that people ask about.”
“And in this movie in particular,” added Feige, “that’s heartening because we think they’re spectacular, and we think they have great potential in the future.”
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