Greta Gerwig Said Noah Baumbach Would Co-Write ‘Barbie’ Without Actually Talking To Him First

The long road of bringing the “Barbie” film to the big screen has gone through a number of ups and downs. Stars and come and gone. Filmmakers have walked away. But now, with Margot Robbie in the lead, as star and producer, “Barbie” is nearly ready to hit theaters in 2023. And perhaps the biggest shock to the whole story is the fact that Greta Gerwig is directing the film and co-wrote the script alongside Noah Baumbach. But it’s that last little bit that seems to have a bit of a funny story attached to it. 

READ MORE: ‘Barbie’: Will Ferrell Says Greta Gerwig’s Upcoming Movie Is “The Ultimate Example Of High Art And Low Art”

Speaking to Dua Lipa as part of her “At Your Service” podcast, Greta Gerwig talked about the decision to not only direct the upcoming “Barbie” film but how she convinced her real-life partner, Noah Baumbach, to co-write the script with her. You see, it wasn’t so much convincing as it was explaining that it was going to happen, no matter what Baumbach said.

“She came to me and said, ‘Would you be interested in writing this?’” Gerwig explained. “And I said, ‘Yes!’ And then I said, ‘And Noah would like to write it too.’ And I had not really talked to Noah about this.”

She added, “I don’t know! I think I had a six-month-old baby when I said yes? And I wasn’t necessarily running everything by him… It was in March of 2020 that Noah said, ‘Are we meant to be writing a “Barbie” movie?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I don’t have any ideas for that! Why didn’t you sign us up to write a different thing?’ And I was like, ‘Because I have a feeling. I like Margot and I have a feeling.’”

READ MORE: ‘White Noise’ Director Noah Baumbach Shares What Advice The Coen Brothers Gave Him [NYFF]

Not much is really known about the “Barbie” film. We do know that Robbie is set to play the title character with Ryan Gosling attached to play Ken. However, there are reports that multiple actors will play both the Barbie and Ken roles, with folks like America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Issa Rae, and Michael Cera all attached to unknown roles. 

However, when you consider Baumbach and Gerwig are the co-writers and the latter directed the film, you have to expect there are plenty of surprises in store. Those are two people you wouldn’t necessarily predict would attach themselves to “Barbie,” so you have to assume the project is more than just a simple cash grab. 

“Barbie” is expected to hit theaters on July 21, 2023.