I don’t know about you, but whenever there’s a movie adapted from some other source material on the way, my one and only thought is: “Will this movie honor the IP?” That’s all that matters. Art be damned, I just want to make sure the intellectual property is being treated like some sort of sacred text! Especially if that property happens to be toys, the most sacrosanct of all things. Thankfully, the Margot Robbie Barbie movie is doing just that, according to Robbie herself. But the actress also added that the film will “give you something totally different,” so I honestly don’t know what to believe anymore.
In case you forgot, there’s a Barbie movie on the way with Margot Robbie in the lead. And believe it or not, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach are writing the script, and there’s been some talk of Gerwig even directing the film. Things have been a bit quiet on the Barbie movie front lately, but while speaking with THR, Robbie offered up some insight into the project, saying:
“The IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, ‘Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,’ but our goal is to be like, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted’… Now, can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people? Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we’re really firing on all cylinders.”
When asked for more details, all Robbie would say of the script from Gerwig and Baumbach is “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that.” So, uh, there you have it! I know throwing around terms like “IP” is standard practice in Hollywood at this point, but it breaks my spirit a little bit every time. And this whole endeavor remains a curious one – I can’t exactly say I’m interested in a Barbie movie, but the fact that Gerwig and Baumbach are involved certainly seems interesting. And Robbie has proven herself to be a strong actress, so there’s that, too.
The Barbie movie has been knocking around for a while now. Back in 2015, it was announced that Diablo Cody would be tackling the script – but in 2018, Cody revealed that while she had signed on to the movie, she never actually got around to writing anything. Over the years various actresses have been attached or at least considered for the lead – Amy Schumer was on board for a while, and then Anne Hathaway. Now, Robbie is set to star and produce in the film, and sooner or later we’ll get to see it. And after the movie ends, and the credits roll, and we walk out of the theater, we’ll breathe a collective sigh of relief and say, “You know what? That Barbie movie truly honored the IP.”
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