The Barbie movie has unveiled what might appear to be an unlikely star. Amy Schumer, the standup comedian known for her frank discussions of casual sex and politics, and who found big-screen success with the bawdy comedy Trainwreck, is lined up for the lead in Mattel’s debut movie outing for its ambitiously proportioned plastic bestseller.

The film, to be released in summer 2018, is an Enchanted-style mix of animation and live action which sees Schumer evicted from Barbieland for eccentricities.

She then has an adventure in the real world, and, according to Deadline, realises 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”. Barbie then returns home to save her fellow dolls.

Sony bought the rights in 2014 from Mattel, which has generated $3bn (£2.3bn) in sales from the 180-odd incarnations of Barbie and her friends. The changing shape and occupational status of the doll has generated much debate over the years.



Production over the last two years has been somewhat bumpy: the original script was written by Rio 2’s Jenny Bicks, before Juno’s Diablo Cody was brought on board by Sony in March 2015 to bring “a legitimately contemporary tone” to the character. She was replaced by Hilary Winston; and Schumer and her sister, Kim Caramele, are to do a partial rewrite before production begins.

A director for the film has yet to be finalised. It is the second in what appears to be a revisionist take on a product once perceived to promote an unattainable ideal of female physique: Reese Witherspoon is producing and may star in a biopic of the doll’s creator, Ruth Handler.

Schumer has three high-profile, upcoming films: an untitled comedy from 50/50 director Jonathan Levine, Jason Hall’s Thank You for Your Service, and a film she has co-scripted with Jennifer Lawrence in which they will both star.