Be honest: you didn’t think the first trailer for the Barbie movie would be an extended Stanley Kubrick homage, did you? Neither did we – but for months now, we’ve heard that the only thing to expect when it comes to Greta Gerwig’s cinematic take on the iconic doll is the unexpected. Strap in, then, not just for your first proper glimpse at Margot Robbie as the ultimate toy, or for a ludicrous amount of hot pink, but for the weirdest riff on 2001: A Space Odyssey since Everything Everywhere All At Once’s hot-dog hands sequence. Watch the Barbie teaser here:
As a statement of intent, this trailer is really something. Barbie looks to be the most unashamedly pink movie of all time, an absurdist hyper-real comedy, a paean to the cultural impact of the Barbie doll, and a homage to cinematic history. As expected Robbie looks to be perfect casting as the classic blonde doll, Ryan Gosling is going for it as a peroxide Ken, and it seems like there are some major dance sequences (possibly songs – is this also a musical?) on the way. Plus, we get glimpses of Simu Liu, future Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, and Issa Rae, who are all strongly rumoured to be other incarnations of Ken and Barbie.
In short, there really is something for everyone here. Gerwig co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach, and Robbie is also producing under her LuckyChap banner. Elsewhere the cast includes America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Emma Mackey and plenty more. Famously, it’s due to hit cinemas on the same day as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, on 21 July 2023. Even in these handful of shots, Gerwig’s vision of life in plastic is looking fantastic – we’ll take a ticket for both, please.