Amy Schumer is revealing that all was not perfect in Barbieland back in 2016.
Schumer, who was originally attached to star in and co-write the live-action Barbie adaptation, said she will be seeing the “Barbie” movie starring Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig. However, Schumer said the original Sony film lacked a “feminist” take on the character like Gerwig’s film for Warner Bros. clearly does.
“I can’t wait to see the movie, it looks awesome,” Schumer said on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” adding, “I think we said it was scheduling conflicts, that’s what we said. But yeah, it really was just creative differences.”
Schumer continued, “But you know, there’s a new team behind it, and it looks like it’s very feminist and cool so I will be seeing the movie.”
When “WWHL” host Andy Cohen asked if Schumer’s original film was not “feminist and cool,” the “Life and Beth” creator said, “Yeah.”
Schumer was attached to the Barbie movie in 2016. She told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2022 that Sony “definitely didn’t want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it,” which led to her exiting the project. The official reason at the time was a scheduling conflict with Schumer’s 2018 film “I Feel Pretty,” but the comedian clarified that it was a creative split with Sony that led to the film being canceled and eventually moving to Warner Bros.
Schumer’s Barbie was supposed to be exiled from Barbieland for not being perfect enough, with Schumer and sister and writing partner Kim Caramele writing the doll as an “ambitious inventor.” The studio asked that her invention be a high heel made out of Jell-O. Schumer also said that she was sent a pair of Manolo Blahniks to celebrate the film deal.
“The idea that that’s just what every woman must want, right there, I should have gone, ‘You’ve got the wrong gal,’” Schumer explained at the time. “I felt like I was disappointing my team by not being Barbie.”
The project moved to Warner Bros. in 2018, with Gerwig taking over and lead actress Robbie producing. Robbie told Vogue that her production company LuckyChap structured the deal with Warner Bros. and Mattel so that screenwriters Gerwig and Baumbach could have an “open” creative process, “which is really fucking hard to do.”
For all the details on “Barbie,” click here.
