The Barbie film is one of the most fascinating projects in recent memory, if only because of the sheer number of big-name stars attached, and another fast-rising talent has now been added to the movie’s cast.
As reported by Variety, Alexandra Shipp is joining the pink plastic world of the iconic doll. The actress, known for her role as Susan in 2021’s musical sensation Tick, Tick… Boom!, and her recurring stint as Storm in X-Men blockbusters Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, will play an as-yet-unnamed part in Barbie.
Barbie will be directed by Greta Gerwig, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker behind Lady Bird and Little Women, and she also co-wrote the script with Marriage Story‘s Noah Baumbach, Despite having several A-list stars attached, the plot has been kept secret, and little information in general has been made available as of yet.
Margot Robbie (The Suicide Squad, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) plays the title role, with Ryan Gosling (First Man, La La Land) as Barbie’s boyfriend and fellow toy, Ken. The supporting ensemble includes Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Kim’s Convenience), America Ferrera (How to Train Your Dragon, Superstore), Ariana Greenblatt (In the Heights, Avengers: Infinity War), and Kate McKinnon (Yesterday, Joe vs. Carole).
The movie has been thrust into the spotlight recently as Amy Schumer, originally slated to play Barbie in a previous version, revealed that it was creative differences that led to her dropping out, and not the scheduling conflicts that were previously cited.
Barbie will be co-produced by Robbie Brenner from Mattel Films, David Heyman, and Robbie’s own company LuckyChap. Currently, there is no announced release date for the picture. However, due to the recent flurry of activity, we can presume that more concrete details will be released soon.
