Despite very little information to go off of, Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll has become one of Hollywood’s most anticipated releases. Now, studio Warner Bros. has shared a first look at the film and set a theatrical release date for July 21, 2023.
Revealed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the promotional image depicts Robbie in Barbie’s iconic pink convertible and sporting a sweet retro look with a polka dot headband and color-coordinated striped halter top. (The doll line launched in 1959.) Ryan Gosling’s appearance as Ken is being kept under wraps for now.
Now filming in London, the rest of the Barbie cast consists of pretty much every actor who hasn’t been booked for Oppenheimer. The ensemble includes Issa Rae (Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse), Michael Cera (The Lego Batman Movie), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings), America Ferrara (Superstore), Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary), Rhea Perlman (Marvelous And The Black Hole), Hari Nef (And Just Like That...), Jamie Demetriou (The Afterparty), and Will Ferrell (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga).
Sex Education stars Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, and Connor Swindells are all more recent additions; Mackey has been widely noted for her resemblance to Robbie, so it’s probably only a matter of time before fellow doppelgängers Samara Weaving and Jaime Pressly sign on.
Little is known about the other roles beyond Barbie and Ken, though Liu has posted to social media about getting his arms and legs waxed in order to appear more doll-like.
Get ready for the new MCU: Mattel Cinematic Universe. As reported by Variety, other toys have been tipped to get the movie treatment, including the magic 8 ball, Polly Pocket, Hot Wheels, Chatty Cathy, and Betsy Wetsy. A Masters Of The Universe adaptation has been on the table for a while now, with Kyle Allen recently being announced as Noah Centineo’s replacement for He-Man.