Sex Education newcomer and Margot Robbie doppelgänger Emma Mackey is also set to star alongside the Australian actress in Greta Gerwig's feminist reimagining of the original fashion doll, Barbie.
Mackay joins the likes of Robbie, who is set to star as the iconic yet controversial doll, and Ryan Gosling, who will portray Barbie's long-term beau Ken.
There is no news as to who Mackey will be playing—perhaps one of Barbie's expansive network of plastic friends and family—with America Ferrera, SNL comedian Kate McKinnon and Marvel newcomer Simu Liu also linked to the project in unconfirmed roles.
In 2019, Robbie told Variety that she's “honoured” to portray the doll and believes that the film will have a “tremendously positive impact” on audiences worldwide.
In addition to taking on the lead title, Robbie has also signed on to co-produce the film alongside husband Tom Ackerley under the Lucky Chap production company.
Slated for release in 2023—the film is set to start production this year thanks to COVID-19 delays—the film will mark the first time the toy has been brought to the big screen outside the realm of animation.
“Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity and communication throughout a child’s journey to self-discovery,” Robbie said in a statement.
“Over the brand’s almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president,” the actress continued.
Despite Robbie no doubt looking the part, she wasn’t the first choice to play the blonde doll. Comedian Amy Schumer was previously part of the line-up, along with Anne Hathaway, before dropping out of the project in 2017.
Robbie achieved phenomenal success after bursting onto the scene as Leonardo DiCaprio's lust-worthy wife in The Wolf Of Wall Street, before starring in Focus, alongside Will Smith.
The actress is determined to prove that she’s more than just a pretty face, as she avoids being cast in roles based on her looks. (Case in point: her latest projects, Bombshell and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.)
"When I was trying to make my name as an actress, creative roles for women were limited," she told Harper's BAZAAR. "I didn’t want to pick up another script where I was the wife or the girlfriend— just a catalyst for the male story line. It was uninspiring."
But now that Robbie's firmly cemented her status as one of the best actresses in Hollywood, we'd say Robbie is happy using her blonde bombshell looks to take on life in plastic.
