Barbie fans are delighted after an onslaught of set photos reveal Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's 1990s neon costumes in the upcoming film. The first live-action Barbie movie is directed by Greta Gerwig, the three-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker behind 2017's Lady Bird and 2019's Little Women, based on a script she co-wrote with her partner and frequent collaborator, Noah Baumbach, also an acclaimed filmmaker in his own right for The Squid and the Whale and Marriage Story. While no plot details for Barbie have been confirmed, the film is rumored to include multiple Barbie and Ken characters.
Robbie leads the Barbie cast as the titular Mattel doll alongside Gosling as her male counterpart, Ken. The film's diverse supporting cast includes a ton of recognizable stars, including Superstore's America Ferrera, Shang-Chi's Simu Liu, SNL's Kate McKinnon, X-Men's Alexandra Shipp, Sex Education's Emma Mackey, One Night in Miami's Kingsley Ben-Adir, Insecure's Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and many more. Production of the Barbie movie commenced in March 2022 at Warner Bros. Studios in England and has since relocated to various parts of Los Angeles. Since filming has been taking place outdoors in public, photos have been circulating on social media for several weeks.
Now, a new onslaught of Barbie set photos has generated a plethora of enthusiastic reactions. The photos show Robbie and Gosling rollerblading along Venice Beach in full 1990s neon gear, including knee and elbow pads. The social media reactions range from playfully poking fun at the Oscar nominees' costumes to expressing anticipation for the Barbie movie. Check out a few of the reactions below:
The first look at Robbie and Gosling's retro rollerskating outfits leaked online less than 24 hours ago, so fans are still taking them in and theorizing what they could mean for the live-action film. It's unclear when the Barbie movie will be set, presumably modern-day, though it will at least be taking audiences back in time with its neon costumes reminiscent of Mattel's Hot Skatin' Barbie and Ken figures from the '90s. Other than these unofficial set photos, Warner Bros. has released two official looks at Barbie, one of Robbie behind the wheel of a pink convertible and one of Gosling sporting six-pack abs as Ken.
To bring Barbie's neon world to life in live-action, Gerwig has reteamed with Little Women's Oscar-winning costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, who has quietly been behind all of the viral photos of Barbie and Ken's outfits circulating on social media in recent weeks. This has been a highly-effective unofficial marketing campaign that has helped build hype for the Barbie movie long before it even finishes filming or releases a trailer. Barbie's release on July 21 is still a year out and it is already one of the most anticipated films of 2023.
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