Sony has pushed the release of its live-action “
Barbie” movie back nearly two years from Aug. 8 to May 8, 2020.
Anne Hathaway is expected to star.
Amy Schumer left the project last March, citing scheduling conflicts, and
Hathaway was reported in talks last summer.
Alethea Jones is directing the film, which has been developed in the vein of “Splash,” “Enchanted” and “Big” with the main character getting kicked out of Barbieland for not being perfect enough and winding up in a real-world adventure. Lindsey Beer, Jenny Bicks, Kim Caramele, Diablo Cody, Bert V. Royal, Hilary Winston and Schumer have all worked on the script.
Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Amy Pascal are producing the film. Parkes and MacDonald initiated the original deal with Sony and Mattel in 2014.
Mattel began selling
Barbie dolls in 1959. Since then, Barbie has had 150 careers including serving as a princess, president, mermaid and movie star. Her signature pink Malibu mansion and sports car are also likely to be featured on the big screen. She’s also appeared in all three “Toy Story” films.
It’s the second date change for “Barbie.” Sony had originally dated the movie for June 29, 2018, then moved it back six weeks. “Barbie” is the first title to be dated on May, 8, 2020.
Sony also dated its “Superfly” reboot, starring Jason Mitchell, Andrea Londo and Trevor Jackson, for June 15. It will open against Disney-Pixar’s “The Incredibles 2” and Warner Bros-New Line’s comedy “Tag.”
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