Robbie may take lead as ‘feminist’ Barbie

MARGOT ROBBIE, the Australian actress, is reportedly in talks to star in the new Barbie film.

The Wolf of Wall Street star is said to be discussing producing the project with LuckyChap Entertainment, her production company.

Patty Jenkin, the Wonder Woman director, could be involved in the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It was initially announced that Sony would partner with Mattel, the toy company behind the Barbie doll brand, for the film in 2014, with Amy Schumer, the US standup comedian, rumoured to be playing the role. The film was to be produced with a contemporary emphasis on feminism and identity, ac- cording to reports. If the deal goes through, Barbie would be produced with Robbie and Warner Bros, who are now partnering Mattel for the film.

Robbie, 28, was recently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in I, Tonya, in which she played the part of Tonya Harding, the disgraced US figure skater.

Robbie is working on Quentin Tarantino’s forthcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, playing the part of Sharon Tate alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.

Mattel will be hoping the film draws a line under recent controversies that have included questions over the dolls’ negative influence on body image and diversity. Attempts to release a “femi- nist” range of barbie dolls on International Women’s Day this year backfired when the family of Frida Kahlo complained that Mattel had omitted the iconic unibrow from the artist’s face.

Until 2016 there had been little change to the size and shape of Barbie since the first doll was launched in the Fifties. Mattel created a new range of 33 dolls, with multiple body shapes and 30 different hair colours in 24 styles. Despite the efforts to create a “tall”, “petite”, and “curvy” Barbie doll, a study found that the “curvy” doll would be the equivalent of a UK size 4.

A year earlier, Mattel faced further scrutiny for its Hello Barbie doll which used artificial intelligence to “speak” with children, recording and storing their responses on ToyTalk’s servers.