Barbie Movie will Allegedly Feature Multiple Barbies and Kens

With films like Little Women and Lady Bird under her belt, a lot of people are excited to see what director Greta Gerwig’s take will be with a franchise film like Barbie. We know that the film features a star-studded cast, but now news is coming out that we could have a multiverse situation in our hands.

According to NY Times’ Kyle Buchanan, the movie actually features multiple Barbies and Kens—with each actor cast playing a different version of the same character. Word has it that Margot Robbie, Issa Rae, and Hari Nef will be playing different versions of Barbie, and Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, and Ncuti Gatwa will be playing different Kens.

And, by the same token, Margot Robbie is not the film’s only Barbie. Issa Rae and Hari Nef play different Barbies…

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 18, 2022

We don’t know exactly what kind of story Gerwig is cooking up with the movie, but some have been suspecting that it could be a meta-narrative not different from The LEGO Movie, where Barbie becomes aware that she is a toy, and will have to deal with that kind of existential crisis.

Now looking back at the report, I’m starting to think that this reveal is probably a spoiler; but maybe the different Barbies and Kens have to team-up to make sure that they’re a product that sends the right message to kids. After all, Barbie toys have recently been criticized for upholding unrealistic body standards and prioritizing the white, blonde version of Barbie.

Hopefully we get a better look at the film soon, but with a release set for later 2023, we could have a long wait in our hands.

Barbie is slated to hit theaters on July 21, 2023.