You wouldn’t expect there to be this much drama about a movie about a plastic kids toy, but apparently, there’s more going on behind the scenes of “Barbie” than we originally thought. The “Barbie” live-action adaptation has gone through many iterations over the years, with Amy Schumer attached and then leaving, Anne Hathaway signing on to star, and the release date getting moved from 2018 to 2020. There’s also been a steady stream of writers coming and going, trying to crack the code, including Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody.
Cody was hired to work on “Barbie” after the original writer, Jenny Bicks, turned in a draft in 2015. However, Variety reported that Sony was unimpressed with Cody’s script, and they hired three separate writers to tackle three separate scripts simultaneously, hoping one would be good-to-go. But according to Cody, that’s not the real story.
While promoting the upcoming film “Tully,” Cody spoke to Screen Crush about the “Barbie” debacle, and apparently, the script that she turned in didn’t impress Sony because there was actually not even a script.
“Dude, I never even produced an initial draft. I failed so hard at that project. I was literally incapable of writing a ‘Barbie’ script. God knows I tried,” admitted the screenwriter.
When asked to elaborate, Cody went into a little more detail about the whole situation:
“To be honest, the timeline coincided with my writing ‘Tully.’ I was really overwhelmed at the time, and I think I was really only capable of reaching in and pulling out something super personal. Look, I think the idea of a ‘Barbie’ movie is super f—ing cool and I hope something goes in there and kills it. And I mean kills it in a positive way. I hope it’s a great movie is what I’m saying! [Laughs] Which is why I initially signed on to do it, which I think is a cool idea, especially now.
But for whatever reason, I’ve always had trouble, I’ve never been great at adaptations. I think when it comes down to it, I’m pretty much an original screenplay person.”
This is good news for fans of “Juno,” “Young Adult,” and the upcoming “Tully.” Apparently, if you like those films, then Cody is going to be sticking to original work for the rest of her career. However, if you were excited about Diablo Cody putting her fingerprints on the eventual “Barbie” film, then you’re out of luck. Doesn’t look like the screenwriter had anything to contribute.
When, or if, the “Barbie” movie gets produced, we’ll have a better idea of what to expect from the film. But as of now, the movie is just one big question mark. However, with the 2020 release date, Sony has plenty of time to figure it out.