Everything to Know About 'Barbie' Movie Starring Margot Robbie

Jessica Sager

Tue, April 4, 2023 at 3:34 PM UTC

8 min read

Let's go party!

Barbie is coming to the big screen. The Barbie 2023 moviehas already been lauded as having a stellar script and a great set environment—but as it stands, very little about the film, save for its two main leads ( Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken) is publicly known, and the plot especially is cloaked in mystery.

That said, here's everything we do know about the upcoming Barbie movie, including release date, some cast members, a teaser trailer and more.

Margot Robbie in "Barbie" (2023)

Warner Bros.

When is the Barbie movie release date?

<em>Kingsley Ben-Adir, left, with Ryan Gosling and Ncuti Gatwa as Kens in — *Kingsley Ben-Adir, left, with Ryan Gosling and Ncuti Gatwa as Kens in "Barbie" (2023)*

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Barbie will be released on July 21, 2023.

Who is in the Barbie movie cast?

The Barbie cast includes:

Margot Robbie as Barbie

Margot Robbie is the title star in Barbie , and her LuckyChap Entertainment company produced the movie. She had pay parity with Ryan Gosling , reportedly with each of the leads making $12.5 million for the film.

Margot Robbie as Barbie<p>Warner Bros.</p> — Margot Robbie as Barbie

Warner Bros.

Ryan Gosling as Ken

Ryan Gosling stars as Ken in Barbie , and the Oscar winner says that his plastic man's life isn't all sunshine and rainbows.

"That Ken life is even harder than the Gray Man life, I think," he previously told Entertainment Tonight . "Ken's got no money, he's got no job, he's got no car, he's got no house. He's going through some stuff."

Dame Helen Mirren as Narrator

Helen Mirren as narrator in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

Dame Helen Mirren will narrate the Barbie movie.

Simu Liu as Ken

Shang-Chi star Simu Liu won the role of another Ken thanks to his sweet dance moves, but that wasn't the challenging part of being a Barbie beau for him.

"Waxing has been an education to say the least," Liu previously told The Independent . "It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I have such a newfound admiration for the incredibly brave women who go through this on a monthly basis."

Simu Liu as Ken in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

Kingsley Ben-Adir as Ken

Kingsley Ben-Adirstars in The OA and the MCU's Secret Invasion . He's set to star as iconic singer Bob Marley in an upcoming biopic.

Ncuti Gatwa as Ken

Ncuti Gatwa , the newest Doctor of Doctor Who , will be one of the Kens in Barbie.

Will Ferrell as Toy Company CEO

Will Ferrell famously was a foil in The Lego Movie and will make an appearance in another toy-themed film with Barbie . Based on his poster, we have a feeling his character may mock former Vice President Mike Pence.

Dua Lipa as Barbie

Dua Lipa as mermaid Barbie in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

Dua Lipawill appear as a mermaid Barbie.

Alexandra Shipp as Barbie

Alexandra Shipp as author Barbie in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

Alexandra Shipp , best known as Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix , will be a celebrated author Barbie in Barbie .

Emma Mackey as Barbie

Emma Mackey as physicist Barbie in "Barbie"

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Emma Mackey of Death on the Nile will be in Barbie as a Nobel Prize-winning physicist Barbie.

Nicola Coughlan as Barbie

Nicola Coughlan as a diplomat Barbie in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

Nicola Coughlan plays fan-favorite character Penelope in Bridgerton and also starred in Derry Girls . In Barbie , she plays a diplomat Barbie.

Kate McKinnon as Barbie

Kate McKinnon will reunite with Bombshell co-star Robbie in Barbie. In Barbie , her character is described as "always in the splits."

Issa Rae as Barbie

The gorgeous and hilarious Insecure alum Issa Rae will appear in Barbie . Her Barbie character is the President. We should be so lucky.

Issa Rae as President Barbie in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

Michael Cera as Allan

Michael Cera is no stranger to toy-themed movies , having previously voiced Robin in The Lego Batman Movie . In Barbie , he plays Allan. There's only one Allan!

America Ferrera as a Human

America Ferrera in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

America Ferrera goes from Superstore to human in Barbie .

Emerald Fennell as Midge

Promising Young Woman writer Emerald Fennell is Midge in Barbie . She previously played a young Camilla Parker-Bowles in The Crown .

Hari Nef as Barbie

Hari Nefappeared in And Just Like That... and gave one of the best auditions that Gerwig had ever seen for Barbie .

"I saw Hari's audition tape for Barbie and just flipped out," Gerwig previously told Vogue . "I ran into the producer's office with a computer and pressed play and said, 'That is it. That is our movie.' She had a joyfulness and playfulness and twinkling intelligent humor, which was exactly the tone: knowing but not snarky, buoyant but not vapid."

Nef's Barbie is a doctor.

Ritu Arya as Barbie

Ritu Arya praised Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment for making the Barbie set enjoyable to work on.

"It felt like a really wonderful atmosphere. And that's, you know, I guess down to them [LuckyChap]," Arya told Collider . "It felt easy and playful and supportive and light. Like, no hierarchy, just people having fun doing art. It was, I think, a testament to them. A really, really beautiful experience."

Arya's Barbie has a Pulitzer.

Ariana Greenblatt as a Human

Ariana Greenblatt in "Barbie" movie

Warner Bros.

Ariana Greenblatt , who had a star turn in Avengers: Infinity War as a young Gamora and followed it with In the Heights , is part of the Barbie cast.

Scott Evans as Ken

Scott Evans —brother to Captain America star and Sexiest Man Alive Chris Evans —will star as a Ken in Barbie . He previously starred as cop Oliver Fish in One Life to Live .

Ana Cruz Kayne as Barbie

Ana Cruz Kayne in "Barbie" movie

Warner Bros.

Actress Ana Cruz Kayne, who previously starred in Painkiller and Another Earth , is part of the stellar Barbie cast as a Supreme Court Justice Barbie.

Jamie Demetriou as a Human

Jamie Demetriou in the "Barbie" movie

Warner Bros.

British comedian and actor Jamie Demetriou—brother to What We Do In the Shadows star Natasia Demetriou—is in Barbie as a suit.

Sharon Rooney as Barbie

Sharon Rooney as Lawyer Barbie in "Barbie"

Warner Bros.

Scottish actress Sharon Rooney, previously seen as Miss Atlantis in Dumbo , appears in Barbie as a lawyer Barbie.

Rhea Perlmanand John Cena will also appear in the film, though their roles haven't yet been revealed.

What will Barbie 2023 be about?

Penned by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach , the Barbie storyline has been kept under wraps. The movie's IMDb notes that the plot is, "A doll living in 'Barbieland' is expelled for not being perfect enough and sets off on an adventure in the real world."

Another theory suggests that Barbie and Ken go into the "real world," where Barbie is disgusted with the sexism and misogyny she finds there and wants to return to her idyllic plastic paradise—but Ken likes the real world and is conflicted over his desire to stay there and his desire to be with the woman he loves (obviously Barbie).

The official log line for the film states, "To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken."

Is there a Barbie trailer?

A teaser trailer for Barbie dropped on Dec. 16, 2022. In it, we see young girls abandoning their baby dolls when the first iteration of the classic Barbie emerges in her trademark black and white striped swimsuit and white sunglasses. Robbie pushes her sunglasses down and winks at the girls.

We then see the briefest flashes of Gosling as Ken along with glimpses of other Kens in lifeboats ready to fight, as well as other Mattel gals in Barbie pink, a pink dreamland full of Barbie pink dreamhouses. There are snippets of Liu and Robbie each doing choreographed dance moves with big groups.

A second Barbie teaser trailer dropped on April 4, 2023. In it, we see Robbie's Barbie in a typical day of greeting fellow Barbies and Kens as her boyfriend Ken (Gosling) looks on. We see Barbie and Ken go to the Real World together (she doesn't look happy that he's joined her, roller blades in tow) and Ken threatens other Kens with a "beach off." The humor in the film is definitely directed at grownups!

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