Margot Robbie says playing Barbie "comes with a lot of baggage"

Margot Robbie has talked more about her leading role in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie.

"Right, it comes with a lot of baggage!" Robbie told Vogue. "And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it. People generally hear 'Barbie' and think, 'I know what that movie is going to be,' and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they're like, 'Oh, well, maybe I don't...'"

This is the first confirmation that Gerwig will be directing the movie. Robbie, who was first announced to star as the title character in 2019, is set to produce via her production company LuckyChap Entertainment, while Gerwig is co-writing the film with her husband and Marriage Story director Noah Baumbach.

At the moment, it's unclear what exactly the film will be about. Gerwig's last two films, Lady Bird and Little Women, both had a strong feminist perspective, so we can expect the trend to continue in the director's take on one of the world's most famous toys. Similarly, Robbie's production company has recently produced the female-centric Promising Young Woman and I, Tonya.

"Now, can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people?" Robbie previously told THR. "Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we're really firing on all cylinders."

Barbie has been the subject of multiple animated movies, as well as appearing in the Toy Story franchise. She's not the only Mattel toy getting a live-action movie soon, either – Lily Collins will star in a Polly Pocket movie directed by Lena Dunham.  

Robbie, meanwhile, can next be seen in The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn. She'll reprise her Harley Quinn role for the third time, after previously starring in David Ayer's Suicide Squad and Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey.

The Barbie film doesn't currently have a release date, but you can catch The Suicide Squad on HBO Max and in theaters in the US on August 6, and in UK cinemas on July 30. Until then, check out our roundup of all of 2021's upcoming movie release dates to start planning those theater trips.