Margot Robbie is now the latest actor to attempt to take on the psychologically-complex role of the Barbie doll, with previous actors including Amy Schumer, Anne Hathaway and 'Law & Order' alum George Dzundza.
OK, 73-year old character actor George Dzundza was not in contention to play Barbie, but given how many actors, writers and directors have cycled through 'Barbie', it wouldn't come as a shock. Previous efforts included one by Patty Jenkins, just after she directed 'Wonder Woman', whilst a screenplay for 'Barbie' was put together by the Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody. Needless to say, all of them didn't make it to the screen.
In fact, 'Barbie' and its journey through development hell eventually meant that the option to make a movie based on the character expired at Sony Pictures and has since reverted to Mattel, the toy company which creates the dolls. Margot Robbie is no stranger to larger-than-life characters, having been the one good thing about 'Suicide Squad' and, of course, 'I Tonya' alongside Allison Janney, but playing 'Barbie' is going to be a different kettle of fish entirely.
For one thing, Barbie as a genera concept still holds some pretty outdated ideas about women and there's also the fact that trying to make a subversive, self-aware movie out of the character probably isn't going to sit well with the rights owners, so where you might start off with good intentions, it's invariably going to lead somewhere safe and dull.
Do we even need a Barbie movie in this day and age? If we're going to bring back things from the '80s, how about something like 'Rainbow Brite' or the ability for people to buy houses on an average industrial income?