Barbie has appeared in plenty of straight-to-DVD CGI animated movies in the past few years, however now she’s stepping up into the live-action arena, with Sony Pictures and Mattel teaming up to make it happen, according to Variety.
Jenny Bicks has been hired to write the script, with Walter F. Parkes and Laurie McDonald producing.
The movie is on a major fast track, with the hope being to get production started by the end of this year, kicking off a potential franchise. It’s thought Mattel insisted on a quick turnaround after several previous attempts to get their properties onto the big screen got trapped in development hell.
Walter F. Parkes, Laurie McDonald and Jenny Bicks won over Mattel to secure the rights, using a pitch that finds Barbie using her personal and professional skills to improve the lives of others, somewhat like a modern-day Mary Poppins.
The story apparently allows the studio to find a young cast to play Barbie, Ken and her best friend, while putting major stars around them to play supporting characters. The hope is to create some new stars while allowing the studio to keep costs down, locking in a cast to appear in multiple features, in a similar way to what Marvel does with their superheroes.