Mattel, Warner Bros. to Bring Barbie to the Big Screen

After 60 years, Barbie is finally coming to the big screen. Mattel and Warner Bros. Pictures Group collaborated on plans to bring the Barbie franchise to life in live action, with Academy Award-nominee Margot Robbie as Barbie. This is the first project to come from Mattel Films, the new division led by Oscar-nominated producer Robbie Brenner, announced last fall from Ynon Kreiz, newly-minted chairman and CEO of Mattel.

“Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity and communication throughout a child’s journey to self-discovery,” says Margot Robbie. “Over the brand’s almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president. I’m so honored to take on this role and produce a film that I believe will have a tremendously positive impact on children and audiences worldwide. I can’t imagine better partners than Warner Bros and Mattel to bring this film to the big screen.”

Robbie will also co-produce the film under her LuckyChap Entertainment Banner, alongside Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara from LuckyChap Entertainment.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.