Margot Robbie to play Barbie in new Greta Gerwig film

Barbie is expected to be released in 2023.

Award-winning filmmaker Greta Gerwig is set to direct the equally prolific Margot Robbie in a film based on Barbie. The movie will be a collaboration between Gerwig, Warner Bros and Mattel, the toy manufacturer that created the iconic doll. Robbie spoke about the challenge of bringing the doll to life in a recent interview with British Vogue. She told the publication that the role comes with "a lot of baggage", as well as plenty of "nostalgic connections". The Suicide Squad actress added that there are a lot of "exciting ways to attack it". She said: "People generally hear 'Barbie' and think, 'I know what that movie is going to be,' and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they're like, 'Oh well, maybe I don't.'". According to Variety, filming for the project will take place in London next year. Producers are aiming for it to be released in 2023. Gerwig's two solo directorial films - Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019) received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture. While it might sound like a bizarre collaboration, Greta Gerwig isn't the only indie filmmaker bringing a nostalgic toy to life on the big screen. Last month, it was announced the Lena Dunham will be directing a feature film about Polly Pocket. Lily Collins, the star of Emily in Paris will take on the leading role. In a statement Dunham said: "Polly Pocket was responsible for countless hours of childhood escapism for me. Polly gave me a tiny world of magic and autonomy to narrate, so it's pretty poetic to be tackling these same ideals now as a director collaborating with the brilliant Lily Collins, Robbie Brenner, Mattel and MGM."