BARBIE The Movie... Don't act so Surprised
Barbie is getting her big screen debut, and you all knew it was going to eventually happen! With all the other toy's getting movie adaptations Barbie was obviously the next step.
Universal Pictures is the studio that will develop the film. The live-action film will be built around the the extremely popular Mattel toyline. Universal really hit the jackpot with this one, a live-action Barbie movie is going to be Huge! Wasn't Sex in the City pretty much a Barbie movie though? I don't know why but when I think Barbie, I think Sex in the City. This will just be the PG version I guess.
If you already didn't know Barbie is the most famous doll in history, she's been around for 50 years and has a 99% worldwide brand awareness. That means it's going to make an awful lot of money.
Mark Laurence is producing the film, he recently developed the surprise hit, Julie and Julia. The next step is to get some writers and decide how they are going to turn Barbie into a family friendly movie. There will be no undressing Barbie in this film! Mark said he felt fortunate to get the job and said there is no shortage of plot possibilities, since Barbie has held more than 120 jobs over the years. He also said:
Barbie may be the most popular girl in the world, and has always been a wonderfully aspirational figure, so we must do her proud.
As of right now there have been 16 direct to DVD animated barbie movies, which have sold over 75 million copies worldwide. So what hasn't a live-action Barbie movie been done yet? Mattel senior veep Richard Dickson said:
The brand wasn’t ready for a movie. In the last 10 years, Barbie has evolved from a toy into an intellectual property. We’ve already had enormous success in the entertainment industry. Barbie has a proven track record in home entertainment, there have been live stage shows, live symphonies and other non-traditional forms of entertainment. There is a flagship store in Shanghai. There are a lot of ways we are already communicating with Barbie’s audience, and there is a richness to the brand as an entertainment property. The utmost concern is to make sure every detail is right. Rather than a timetable, I’m more interested in making sure we deliver the right product.
So there it is folks! If you are a fan of Barbie then this must be some pretty exciting news for you. It seems like everyone involved knows what they want. They are going to turn Barbie into a decent film. Not like Paramount, when they didn't know what they were doing, and had no respect for the G.I. Joe fans when they made G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, so they ended up ruining my favorite toy. Barbie fans should be happy. Are you? Who would you like to see play Barbie and Ken?
Source: Variety