It’s truly a Barbie world in the latest trailer and character posters released Tuesday, teasing the star-studded ensemble for the upcoming Barbie movie.
In the trailer for Warner Bros. and Mattel‘s upcoming romantic comedy, Barbie is breaking free of her perfect universe of dolls and into the human world. While fans have gotten a few first photo looks — both official and unofficial — of stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the highly anticipated, Greta Gerwig-directed film, not much has been known about the supporting cast. Now, the trailer and new posters reveal more about the movie’s Barbies, Kens and humans — and teases an appearance by John Cena, whose character is currently unknown and not featured in the first look.
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Joining Robbie’s classic Barbie is Issa Rae‘s president Barbie, Kate McKinnon’s gymnast Barbie, Dua Lipa‘s mermaid Barbie, Nicola Coughlan’s diplomat Barbie, Alexandra Shipp’s writer Barbie, Emma Mackey’s physicist Barbie, Ritu Arya’s journalist Barbie, Sharon Rooney’s lawyer Barbie, Hari Nef’s doctor Barbie and Ana Cruz Kayne’s judge Barbie.
While a few of Barbie’s more notable family and friends like Skipper, Christie and Stacie aren’t featured in the posters released Tuesday, there is one character from the doll’s longtime inner circle. That’s Emerald Fennell’s Midge, Barbie’s longtime best friend who was introduced during the toy line’s vintage days. In later iterations, she eventually marries a male doll named Alan, has kids and gets pregnant again. (The doll, which was pregnant during its Happy Family line iteration, faced criticism from parents who believed Midge was too young to be pregnant, resulting in Mattel rereleasing Barbie’s best friend in 2013 but, this time, as unmarried, not pregnant and without children.)
While Mattel may have moved on from Alan, it appears Gerwig’s film has not, with Michael Cera featured as the character in his own poster, indicating that the film plans to play with different eras of Barbie. Alongside Cera are various Kens, a diverse group that reflects the toy line’s modern expansion into more inclusive versions of Barbie’s male counterpart. (In 2017, two years after Mattel introduced its more representational 2015 Fashionista line, it debuted 15 variations of Ken, with three body types, seven skin tones, eight hair colors and nine different hairstyles). Among the Kens teased in the new posters are Ncuti Gatwa, Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir. Liu’s character also faces off against Gosling’s Ken in the trailer.
Beyond the dolls, an entirely separate set of posters teases the film’s “human” characters, portrayed by Will Ferrell (whose poster says to “Call me mother”), America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Connor Swindells and Jamie Demetriou. Helen Mirren also has her own poster, which says she’ll serve as the film’s narrator.
A trailer revealed last December vaguely previewed the film, which will see Barbie expelled from her land of dolls and set off on an adventure among real people. “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken,” the trailer teased. Last June, before the trailer, the live-action Barbie film — which is co-written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach — teased Gosling’s Ken and Robbie’s Barbie with first-look photos.
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter back in December 2020 about the movie, Robbie shared that the movie plans to upend people’s expectations.
“We like the things that feel a little left of center,” said the actress, who was first attached to the film back in 2018. “Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, ‘Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,’ but our goal is to be like, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted.’… Can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people? Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we’re really firing on all cylinders.”
Rhea Perlman, who is in the film but not featured in any of the posters, previously also told The Daily Beast in August that the film is “not just some ditzy movie about a doll. It is really going to be a great film. Greta Gerwig is great at directing it, and Margot Robbie is the main Barbie. It’s very different and quite beautiful and really fun.”
And during a November appearance on Barbie actress Lipa’s podcast At Your Service, Gerwig expressed that taking on the property was more than a bit intimidating. “It was something that was exciting because it was terrifying,” she said. “It felt like vertigo, starting to write it, like: ‘Where do you even begin, and what would be the story?’ And I think it was that feeling I had was knowing that it would be really interesting terror. Usually that’s where the best stuff is, where you’re like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender’ — then you’re like, ‘I should probably do it.’”
Barbie is set to hit theaters July 21.
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