Who knew that the height of cinema in 2023 would come in the form of a live-action Barbie movie, directed and written by indie film darling Greta Gerwig? It's a reality I'm not sure was on anyone's bingo cards, and yet we aren't complaining in the slightest. If we’re honest, we always knew that there would come a time when Barbie would get its long-awaited live-action debut. Frankly, we thought that it would have come sooner, given how keen Hollywood is at the moment on the idea of adapting any and all animations into real-life cinematic… masterpieces? Although what we didn’t exactly anticipate is that this live-action moment would have such promise.
With Babylon actor and Chanel muse Margot Robbie taking the lead as none other than – yes, you guessed it – Barbie, and a plethora of other high-profile names attached to the project, it's truly become the pop culture event of the year. Below, we’ve gathered everything we know about the Barbie live-action film so far.
A new Barbie trailer has officially dropped
We're glad you asked. Just this morning, the latest official trailer for Barbie dropped, and frankly, we're still recovering. The over-stimulation of pink everything, the multiple Barbies, Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu battling it out as Ken's. It's a lot, and we love it.
Who is in the Barbie movie cast?
It’s impossible to imagine a more fitting Barbie than Margot Robbie, but the rest of the casting choices for the film are equally as sensational. Ryan Gosling will star as Ken (one of many, it seems, from the looks of the trailer), and for fans of tv series Sex Education who thought that its lead Emma Mackey an uncanny Margot Robbie lookalike, know that she's been tapped as a cast member too.
As for the rest of the cast, Will Ferrell will star in the role of CEO of a toy company that "may or may not be Mattel", according to The Hollywood Reporter, alongside cameos from (to name just a few) Dua Lipa, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, Ncuti Gatwa, Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan and America Ferrera.
Who is on the Barbie soundtrack?
The film's just-announced soundtrack is a beast all of its own, executive produced by Mark Ronson, and featuring a lineup of pop music titans that includes Haim, Ice Spice, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Pink Pantheress, Khalid, Ava Max, Dominic Fike, Gayle, Fifty Fifty, Kali, Karol G, and the film's own Dua Lipa.
Also on the soundtrack are a few further Aussies, in the form of newly minted hip hop / pop wunderkid Kid Laroi, and psych-pop juggernauts Tame Impala.
When will the Barbie live-action remake be released?
The film will be released globally on 20 July 2023.
Image via IMdB, courtesy of Warner Brothers.
