America Ferrera confirms she’ll play opposite Margot Robbie in the awaited Barbie movie. While her role is undisclosed, Robbie will play Barbie and Ryan Gosling will play Ken.
Ferrera shared the news over Instagram, where she wrote: “come on Barbie, let’s go party.” The film is expected to start shooting this year.
Barbie has been in development for years, switching directors, writers and stars. While its current iteration will star and be produced by Robbie, Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway were at one point attached to the project. The plot of the film is being kept under wraps but previous versions of the story revolved around Barbie, a doll expelled from ‘Barbieland’ and sent off on an adventure in the real world. The film will be directed by Greta Gerwig, who directed Lady Bird and Little Women, both nominated for Academy Awards, and is written by Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach. It’ll be produced by Warner Bros and is the first live-action film of the iconic Mattel doll.
Over the past couple of years, America Ferrera has gotten involved in a variety of filmmaking aspects, from producing to directing. She is set to make her feature directorial debut, adapting the bestselling novel “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.” She’s previously directed episodes of the Netflix series Gentefied , and starred and produced the series Superstore.
This year, Ferrera will star in the awaited Apple TV+ series WeCrashed, alongside Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. The show will track the rise and fall of the startup WeWork, which in less than a decade valued at $47 billion only to crash and burn a year later.