Deadline reports that comedian Amy Schumer is now in negoations to play the title role in Sony’s PG live-action Barbie film. The film was originally penned by Oscar winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) with recent rewrites from Hilary Winston and Kim Caramele.
Schumer will play a character who lives in Barbieland, among all of the various Barbie characters beloved by doll collectors (there are dolls covering over 180 careers). In a fish-out-of-water story reminiscent of films like Splash and Big, Schumer’s Barbie gets kicked out, basically because she’s not perfect enough, is a bit eccentric and doesn’t quite fit the mold. She then goes on an adventure in the real world and by the time she returns to Barbieland to save it, she has gained the realization that perfection comes on the inside, not the outside, and that the key to happiness is belief in oneself, free of the obligation to adhere to some unattainable standard of perfection.
Sony is currently searching for a female director as hopeful Thea Sharrock (Me Before You) has recently passed on the project with many more names on a studio shortlist.
I’ve actually heard some of the details concerning the script and it’s tone is pretty much comparable to things like Legally Blonde and Enchanted, which should make everyone happy. Deadline’s synopsis backs up what I’ve been hearing and it should be more kid frienly than most would expect from Schumer.
Barbie was originally set for a release date on May 12th, but that seems to be impossible at this point.
SOURCE: DEADLINE