Move Over Human Barbie and Ken: Sony and Mattel Are Making a Live-Action Barbie Comedy Movie About Doll's Careers
If the creepy Human Barbie and Ken people aren't cutting it for you, don't worry. Another live version of Barbie is coming soon, but it will be embodied via a live-action film with actors rather than some misguided souls.
Sony Pictures has joined forces with Mattel and Parkes+MacDonald/Image Nation for a comedy live-action Barbie movie. Jenny Bicks ("Rio 2," "The Big C") will write the script, and it will begin production before the end of 2014 according to Deadline.
If you're a Barbie fan, the best part is, they're talking franchise.
"We've always thought that the Barbie story had great potential, but a universe of possibilities opened up when Jenny, [producers] Walter [Parkes] and Laurie [MacDonald] brought us their unexpected, clever, and truly funny concept," Hannah Minghella, Columbia Pictures' president of production, said in a statement. "It captures everything that has made Barbie a classic for generation after generation while also standing on its own, establishing Barbie as a truly original screen character."
According to Deadline, the movie focuses around Barbie's uncanny ability to acquire a plethora of envy-worthy careers.
"Bicks and Parkes and MacDonald won the rights from Mattel when they plugged into that with their pitch for a contemporary tale," Deadline reports. "It allows the character Barbie to use her personal and professional skills to step into the lives of others and improve them, almost like a modern-day Mary Poppins."
Young actors are expected to play Barbie, Ken and a best friend for Barbie.
"While it's an overused word, Barbie truly is a legend, a cultural symbol whose career choices have been as unlimited as her wardrobe," Parkes and MacDonald said in a statement. "She is about empowerment, but never at the expense of fun. Our hope is to capture all of these aspects of Barbie in a modern take of the character that can appeal to moviegoers of all ages."
According to Tim Kilpin, Mattel EVP of Global Brand, there is no time like the present for a big screen Barbie film.
"Now is the right time in Barbie's celebrated history for her to star in a live-action, contemporary comedy that brings her playful personality to life for generations of fans," he said.
Let's just hope they don't go to extreme measures to have the actors fit the part like Human Barbie and Ken did.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @SH____4.
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