Barbie: Ryan Gosling debuts platinum blonde in his first look as Ken

The film stars Margot Robbie in the titular role as Barbie.

Ryan Gosling in a still from Barbie

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s will recognise the look, and Ryan Gosling nails it in the first shot of him as "Ken" in Warner Bros.' Greta Gerwig-directed Mattel film Barbie.

Barbie has been in development for a long time, first at Sony and then at Warner Bros. with Anne Hathaway and Amy Schumer circling the main part. Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and Issa Rae also appear in the film.

The screenplay was co-written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. The premise is unknown, but given Gerwig's track record as a director, it's safe to assume that this won't be your average take on the legendary doll's story.

Margot Robbie's first look as the titular doll in the film was published a while back.

The Barbie movie will be released in theatres on July 21, 2023, the studio said today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Robbie and LuckyChap Entertainment's Tom Ackerley are producing the film under their LuckyChap Entertainment company. Robbie Brenner and David Heyman will both produce through Mattel and Heyday Films, respectively. Josey McNamara of LuckyChap and Ynon Kreiz of Mattel are executive producers.

The project has been in development for eight years and has gone through several incarnations, with Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway circling the character in prior drafts. Alethea Jones and Patty Jenkins were apparently in the running for the role of director.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Robbie previously stated that the Warner Bros. film aims to defy expectations. The two-time Academy Award nominee stated that they appreciate things that are a little off the beaten path. With something like Barbie people automatically think that Margot is playing Barbie. They know what that is, but their goal is to say that whatever one is thinking, they are going to give them something completely different, the thing they didn't know they wanted.

She further asked if it is possible to both honour the IP and the fan base while also surprising people. They are truly firing on all cylinders if they can do all of that while also provoking thoughtful discourse.

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