From the cast to the soundtrack, here’s everything to know about Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ movie starring Margot Robbie

Warner Bros. Pictures brought Barbie to life in the company’s highest-earning theatrical release of all time.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, the project was in the works for quite some time. Back in December 2016, Amy Schumer was originally attached to star, however, she later backed out of the film due to creative differences.

In January 2019, it was confirmed that Margot Robbie would be taking on the lead role of the iconic Mattel doll, and in October 2021, Ryan Gosling joined the cast as Barbie’s plastic partner, Ken.

Robbie spoke about the movie’s toy-tastic style during a December 2022 conversation with Carey Mulligan for Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” series. When Mulligan asked if the film would have any Barbie houses, Robbie responded, “The Dreamhouses? You’ll see some Dreamhouses. And it will be everything you ever dreamed of.”

On April 25, 2023, a preview of the film was shown at CinemaCon 2023 in Las Vegas. During the event, Gerwig spoke about her joyful experience filming the movie and said she “cried when I stepped on the set for the first time.”

Robbie, who also helped present the preview at CinemaCon, told Gerwig, “You were just so happy; we felt that every day.”

While there are currently no plans for a Barbie sequel, Robbie has hinted that another movie is possible. In June 2023, the actress said that the story “could go a million different directions from this point.”

The following month, Gerwig also talked about the possibility of a sequel — or sequels — when she told PEOPLE she hopes her film “is the launch of a world and a bunch of different Barbie movies,” adding, “I want to go back to Barbie Land.”

Whether Barbie gets a sequel or not, this film is a certified hit, making $1 billion at the box office in a little over two weeks.

And the film is set to pull in even more viewers this fall. In August 2023, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the film would be released in IMAX theaters for a one-week limited engagement, beginning Sept. 22. This version of the film will include brand-new footage chosen by Gerwig.

“We made Barbie for the big screen, so it’s an even bigger thrill to be able to bring it to IMAX, the biggest screen of all,” the director said in a statement. “And as a special thanks to Barbie fans, we’re excited to share a little bit more of our cast and crew’s incredible work by adding special new footage we hope audiences will enjoy.”

From the cast to the soundtrack, here’s everything to know about the Barbie movie.

Who is in the Barbie movie cast?

The Barbie movie includes a number of big stars in the cast, including Robbie as Barbie and Gosling as Ken.

While the two play a couple, Robbie, who also served as a producer for the film, talked to PEOPLE about her character’s G-rated relationship with Ken and how she and Gosling don’t fully kiss in the movie. “All of my girlfriends were like, ‘Well you did a whole movie with him and you don’t kiss? What’s wrong with you? I thought you were kind of in charge on this one!’” she said.

Will Ferrell is also in the film, playing the CEO of Mattel. He spoke about his role in a November 2022 interview with the Wall Street Journal Magazine. “I get to play the CEO of Mattel and be that guy who’s just insensitive but weird and then, not to spoil anything, but…. Anyway, that’s what excites me,” Ferrell said.

In April 2023, the film’s official Instagram account unveiled a variety of character posters in which they finally revealed who everyone is playing. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa play different versions of Ken, while Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, Dua Lipa, Anna Cruz Kayne, Sharon Rooney, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Nicola Coughlan, Alexandra Shipp and Ritu Arya play different versions of Barbie. Additionally, Emerald Fennell plays Midge while Michael Cera plays Allan.

Character posters were also unveiled for non-Barbie characters, including America Ferrera as “a human,” Ariana Greenblatt as another “human,” Helen Mirren as “the narrator,” Connor Swindells as an “intern,” and Jamie Demetriou as “a suit.”

What is the Barbie movie about?

“People don’t have any idea what to expect [with the film], and I think that that’s the right vibe,” Ferrera told PEOPLE in October 2022 about the film’s plot. “Whatever you think it is, it’s not that. It’s something else.”

During the 20th Unforgettable Gala, Liu teased that the film is all about “inner beauty,” and that Gerwig paid special attention to diversity and inclusivity when it came to casting for the film.

“I remember very clearly about some of our big intricate dance sequences. Greta was very, very conscientious about who she cast,” he said, according to Vanity Fair.

To that end, “We were able to cast people of different shapes, sizes, differently abled, to all participate in this dance — all under this message of: You don’t have to be blonde, white, or X, Y, Z in order to embody what it means to be a Barbie or a Ken,” Liu continued.

Prior to its release, the film seemed to place focus on Ken’s journey, despite what Gosling sees as a lack of public interest in the male doll. In a May 2023 interview with GQ, the actor joked that while people claim to have cared about Ken “this whole time,” he insists they “never cared.”

“If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed,” he said. “This is why his story must be told.”

Who is directing the Barbie movie?

Greta Gerwig, the mastermind behind Oscar-nominated films such as Lady Bird and Little Women, directed the film. She also wrote the screenplay for the film alongside her partner Noah Baumbach.

On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in July, Gosling said the Barbie film’s script is the “best” he has “ever read.”

When did the Barbie movie film?

Filming for the movie kicked off in March 2022. Robbie and Gosling were spotted filming scenes around L.A. in June 2022, including those now-iconic photos of them wearing rollerblade outfits at Venice Beach.

In July 2022, filming on Barbie wrapped for some of the cast, as some stars marked their last day on set with behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram.

At the 2023 Golden Globes, Robbie raved about the cast and crew culture on the set of Barbie.

“Oh, I was cracking up all the time. This was a set filled with laughter and dancing and music and good vibes, yeah,” she told Variety.

In June 2023, Robbie shared an inside look at the stunning set for the film, detailing how they brought Barbie’s over-the-top Dreamhouse to life.

When was the first look of the Barbie movie released?

The first official look at Robbie in character as the plastic toy came in April 2022 during CinemaCon, when Warner Bros. Pictures shared a first-look image. In the photo, Robbie as Barbie wore a blue-and-white polka-dotted headband and matching striped halter top, as she smiled and leaned forward in a pink Chevrolet Corvette convertible.

The first glimpse of Gosling as Ken came in June 2022, when Warner Bros. shared a snapshot of the actor online. In the photo, Gosling posed and showed off his platinum-blond hairdo and his abs under a ripped denim jacket.

Gosling has taken pride in having a “Ken-ergy that you can feel,” and on The Tonight Show, he joked about people “clutching their pearls” about the underwear-baring shots —”as though they ever thought about Ken for a second before this!” (Meanwhile, his partner Eva Mendes joked that she asked him to bring the Ken briefs home from set

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Is there a poster for the Barbie movie?

In April, Warner Bros. debuted a handful of character posters, which gave more insight into who everyone from the cast was playing. The studio also released the official poster for the film, which features Robbie and Gosling on the iconic Barbie logo.

Is there a trailer for the Barbie movie?

The first teaser trailer for the Barbie movie dropped on Dec. 16, 2022. The 74-second clip opens with little girls playing with baby dolls in a rugged setting.

“Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls,” the narrator can be heard saying. “But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls. Until …”

The camera then cuts to Robbie towering over the girls in a black-and-white striped bathing suit, black heels and white sunglasses. In awe of Barbie, the girls decide to smash their baby dolls.

Viewers then get a brief look at the playful and colorful world of Barbie.

In December 2022, Liu spoke to PEOPLE about the clip and his experience making the film. “It was pretty much what you see in the trailer,” he said. “I feel like you can kind of surmise what kind of experience we had filming it just by watching the trailer. It’s so much fun.”

The actor continued, “The dancing, the laughing, all of that. That was every single day for us on set. So now to finally see that in a work form is actually surreal because we just felt like we were having fun the whole time.”

In April 2023, a second teaser trailer was released set to “Fun, Fun, Fun” by the Beach Boys. The trailer gives a closer look at Barbie Land as Robbie cruises down the street in her pink convertible.

A month later, Warner Bros. Pictures released the official Barbie trailer. The two-and-a-half-minute teaser shows Barbie experiencing an existential crisis. This prompts her to travel to the “real world” and discover “the truth about the universe.” Of course, Ken tags along on the adventure.

Who is featured on the Barbie movie soundtrack?

Though Aqua’s hit track “Barbie Girl” won’t be featured on the soundtrack, many fun pop song are included. In May 2023, Dua Lipa, who stars in the film, announced that she is releasing a new song titled “Dance the Night,” which is featured on the film’s soundtrack.

Later that month, the tracklist for Barbie the Album was announced, naming artists such as Lizzo, Ice Spice, Haim and Nicki Minaj as collaborators.

When was the Barbie movie released?

Barbie opened in theaters on July 21, 2023.

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