The Barbie Movie Took 14 Years To Make, Almost Starred Amy Schumer & Anne Hathaway
Although "Barbie" is now the talk of the town, with its highly-publicized box-office showdown with "Oppenheimer" and its perfect star in the lead role, it took a long time to develop the iconic fashionista's first live-action appearance. Mattel has desperately tried for over a decade to get a "Barbie" movie on the big screen, with their earliest attempt dating back to 2009.
The first partnership was with Universal Pictures, but nothing ever came of it. Then, the company struck a deal with Sony in 2014, with writers putting a script together and the studio tapping Amy Schumer to star in the titular role. However, Schumer left the project in 2017, citing "scheduling conflicts." In 2022, the actress spilled the tea to The Hollywood Reporter, saying that reason wasn't necessarily true. She wanted Barbie to be an inventor, and Sony suggested she invent "a high heel made of Jell-O," so creative differences led to them parting ways. Sony then signed Anne Hathaway to replace Schumer, but she also departed the project after a delay.
After years of getting nowhere, Sony and Mattel's contract expired, and the toys company moved on to Warner Bros. because the third time's the charm. And that it was, as Warner Bros. announced Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig had signed on for the movie as the star and the director, respectively.
Barbie was always going to have a star-studded cast
Although "Barbie" went through development hell, to say the least, there was never a lack of stars interested in bringing the property to life. Say what you want about Amy Schumer, but when she signed on for "Barbie," she was coming off "Trainwreck," which proved she had a spot in the industry. Anne Hathaway has been a star in Hollywood since the turn of the century, and "Barbie" would've fit well in her mini-resurgence. Now, with Margot Robbie on board, Warner Bros. is bringing one of the most popular actresses in the industry to Barbieland.
The pairing of Greta Gerwig and Robbie was enough to get everyone excited for "Barbie." However, the production didn't stop there, assembling an unbelievably all-star cast for the big-screen adventure. The studio announced Ryan Gosling had joined the project at the end of 2021, making for an iconic Barbie and Ken duo with Robbie. From there, the stars just kept rolling in, with Issa Rae, Emma Mackey, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, John Cena, and many more joining the movie.
Now that everything is said and done on the production end of "Barbie," Mattel has a damn-near-perfect cast to bring the doll to life. While it took forever to get here, the company didn't give up on the movie, and Hollywood's biggest stars clearly never lost interest.