Amy Schumer will NOT be a Barbie girl and will NOT be in a Barbie world.
Variety broke that due to scheduling conflicts with other projects, Trainwreck star Amy Schumer has departed the starring role of Sony Pictures’ live-action family comedy, Barbie.
Based on Mattel’s globally beloved plastic icon, Barbie would have had Schumer star as a single “Barbie” from a land populated by “Barbies”, fittingly dubbed “Barbieland”, and follow her adventures as she is kicked out for not being as perfect as the rest of them and is forced to live in the real world. The film is set to be in the vein of films like Disney’s Enchanted or Tom Hanks’ Big, but whether or not the same comedic tone will persist without Schumer starring is unknown at this point. The film has the potential for strong commentary on how the “Barbie” image fits in our modern culture.
Schumer told Variety, “Sadly, I’m no longer able to commit to Barbie due to scheduling conflicts. The film has so much promise, and Sony and Mattel have been great partners. I’m bummed, but look forward to seeing Barbie on the big screen.”
The film is set to begin production June 23rd with a June 29th, 2018 release date. No director or replacement star has yet to be named.