Amy Schumer has disclosed the true cause of her departure from the Barbie movie, after previously being in negotiations to star in and rewrite the long-awaited project.
The film, which is based on the Mattel doll and features Margot Robbie as the lead and producer, follows Barbie’s journey of self-discovery after being expelled from Barbie land for having an existential crisis.
She is accompanied by Ryan Gosling’s Ken in her quest for genuine happiness. The movie, which is co-written and directed by three-time Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig, is preparing to hit theaters this summer, competing with Oppenheimer at the box office.
Amy Schumer discussed her departure from the long-awaited Barbie movie during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
The comedian disclosed that, contrary to the reports that she exited due to scheduling conflicts, she left over creative differences on the project, specifically that it “lacked feminist and cool” elements. Schumer’s explanation can be found in the quotes and video below:
They said I was too thin. I can’t wait to see the movie. I think it looks awesome. I think we said it was scheduling conflicts. That’s what we said. But it really was just like, creative differences. But there’s a new team behind it and it looks like it’s very feminist and cool, so I will be seeing this movie.
The development of a proper Barbie adaptation began in 2009, after several direct-to-video animated movies, but faced a long and winding road.
The project notably changed hands between multiple studios, including Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures, where Diablo Cody, the writer of Juno, had been hired to rewrite the screenplay, followed by Schumer, who would’ve co-written a new draft with her sister, Kim Caramele, and also would have starred.
As previously mentioned, Schumer left the movie just a few months after entering negotiations, with the reports of scheduling conflicts now refuted by the Emmy winner.
Sony initially attempted to continue with the movie with Anne Hathaway being considered for the lead role and Alethea Jones being approached to direct the Barbie movie, but the studio lost the rights to the character and Warner Bros. acquired them, resulting in them starting from scratch on all fronts.
After the decade of troubled development, the Barbie movie finally secured some solid ground with Robbie joining the long-awaited project as the star and producer and Gerwig being hired to direct and co-write with partner Noah Baumbach after Patty Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman, was briefly considered.
While the current vision of the movie is likely different from when Schumer was involved, her continued support for the project is at least a positive sign that the creative differences were relatively cordial, a rarity with major project exits.
About Barbie (2023)
Barbie is a 2023 film directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach. It is based on the eponymous fashion doll line by Mattel, and serves as the franchise’s first live-action film adaptation after several computer-animated direct-to-video and streaming television films.
The film stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken respectively. Barbie released in the United States and United Kingdom on July 21, 2023, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
No Comments on Amy Schumer on Leaving the Barbie Movie: “It Didn’t Feel Feminist and Cool”