America Ferrera has signed on to play opposite Margot Robbie in “Barbie,” the upcoming movie from Warner Bros., Mattel and Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment.
Greta Gerwig is directing the movie, from a script she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach, with Robbie playing the titular toy doll and Ryan Gosling playing Ken. It is unknown who Ferrera will play as details of the film’s plot have been kept fantastically wrapped in plastic.
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Best known for her Emmy-winning work on screen in projects like “Ugly Betty,” “Real Women Have Curves,” and as a voice actor in the popular “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, Ferrera expanded her resume by producing the hit NBC comedy workplace comedy “Superstore” (which she also starred in for five of the show’s six seasons) and Netflix’s “Gentefied.” She also stepped behind the camera to direct multiple episodes of both shows.
Ferrera is set to make her feature directorial debut with “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel, by author Erika Sánchez, who will serve as a co-producer on the film. She’ll next be seen starring opposite Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway in the limited series “We Crashed,” which debuts in March on Apple TV plus.
“Barbie” is set to start production in early this year at WB’s Leavesden Studios in London, with a planned 2023 theatrical release.
Plans to adapt the Mattel doll’s tale for the big screen have been in the works for some time, but coalesced when Robbie, Gerwig and Baumbach boarded the project in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In addition to Robbie, producers on “Barbie” also include LuckyChap’s Tom Ackerley; Mattel’s Robbie Brenner; and David Heyman for Heyday Films. LuckyChap’s Josey McNamara and Mattel’s Ynon Kreiz are executive producers.
Deadline was first to report news of Ferrera’s casting in the project. She is repped by CAA and Peikoff Mahan.
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