We knew that “Barbie” was never about presenting premium cinema, but the hope was that with the involvement of Amy Schumer as lead actress and even polishing the script by Hilary Winston (“The Lego Ninjago Movie,” “My Name Is Earl“) and Kim Caramele (who has worked with Schumer, as a producer on “Trainwreck,” and producer/writer on “Inside Amy Schumer“), the movie would at least be somewhat more than an extended commercial for a doll. But now, those hopes are being lowered a bit.
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Variety reports that Schumer has exited the movie due to “scheduling conflicts” having to do with promoting her upcoming comedy “Snatched” (but surely, everyone involved knew when that movie was opening when the actress signed on?). This is a real fly in the ointment for Sony because they can’t move the slated June 29, 2018 release date for the film, because Mattel has a whole new product line rollout already anchored to the movie (toys tend to be planned out far, far in advance), not to mention whatever other licensing and promotional deals have already been put in place (you can see where the priorities lie here).
So, “Barbie” has no choice but to shoot this summer, but there are some big hurdles to overcome. First, a replacement for Schumer needs to found. Oh yeah, and a director, for the movie that’s said to be in the vein of “Big,” “Enchanted,” and “Splash.” And who knows if the script might need further work depending on who signs on. Traditionally, this sort of rushed, backwards approach has never ended well, but hey, there’s toys that need to be sold.
