Four months afterAmy Schumerbacked away from Sony’sBarbiemovie, the project is back on the right track, with the studio eyeing both a new star and a director. Oscar winning actress Anne Hathaway has entered talks with the studio to star in this project. Alethea Jones, who makes her directorial debut with the upcoming comedyFun Mom Dinner, is in talks to direct. However, the deal for Anne Hathaway may fall through, if some scheduling complications aren’t worked out first.
The Tracking Boardfirst broke the news that Anne Hathaway is in talks, although the deal has been in the works for several months, and has been hinted at in other publications like the New York Times and The Ankler. Neither of those reports revealed what actress was being eyed for the role. The actress' commitment to the project is dependent on her schedule, especially since she just recently signed on to star inO2for IM Global, but the site speculates that, since the actress and studio have been engaged in talks for quite some time, they think a deal will eventually be struck.
Sony responded to the report by stating thatAnne Hathaway’s involvement is still “very premature,” although it remains to be seen when this deal will finally go through. Amy Schumer originally signed on to star in thisBarbie movieback in December 2016, and it didn’t take long for Internet trolls to pounce all over this story. It also didn’t take long for Amy Schumer to fire back at theBarbie haters, with a series of strongly-worded messages. However, it ultimately wouldn’t matter, since she backed out in March due to scheduling conflicts, adding on social media that she was “bummed” it couldn’t work out and she can’t wait to see the movie.
ThisBarbiemovie has been in the works for quite some time now, first announced in April 2014 when the studio brought in Jenny Bicks (What A Girl Wants) to write the script. Then in March 2015, the studio broughtDiablo Codyaboard to rewrite the script. It ultimately isn’t clear if Sony is still going with Diablo Cody’s script, or if other writers have been brought in since then. No story details have been given at this time, but theBarbiemovie will be produced by Amy Pascal, Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, along with Mattel. When Amy Schumer was attached, the story followed her character in the land of Barbie, where everyone but her is perfect. She comes to the real world and learns how to love herself. While that version of Barbie was supposed to be frumpy, with some trolls meanly calling her out for being ‘fat and ugly’, the big difference here may simply be that Anna Hathaway’s Barbie has brunette hair, making her the oddball standout in a sea of perfect blonde Barbies.
Sony had originally set theBarbie movie release datefor June 24, 2025, before pushing it back a few months to June 02, 2025 before finally being moved to August 07, 2025, where it will face Warner Bros.‘Tagand STX Entertainment’sI Feel Pretty. Still, since no production schedule has been given yet, it’s possibleBarbiecould be delayed yet again, unless production is put on the fast track. Anne Hathaway most recently starred in the Disney sequelAlice Through the Looking Glassand in the Neon indie thrillerColossal. She will next be seen in the Warner Bros.Ocean’s Elevenspin-offOcean’s Eight, which hits theaters on July 18, 2025.
