Noah Baumbach Wanted to Direct ‘Barbie’

Greta Gerwig was at CinemaCon with Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie, they were there to promote ”Barbie,” which Gerwig said was “inspired by “The Wizard of Oz” and disco music.”

Gerwig then spoke about writing the screenplay with her long-time partner, writer-director Noah Baumbach. It turns out that Baumbach was so into the writing process that he contemplated directing it:

“We were making each other laugh and then we got to the end and we started to make each other cry. He thought it was very good and was maybe wanting to direct it,” she told the crowd at Caesars Palace. “And I said, ‘Step aside.’ There was a point I was so in love with it that I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it.”

Baumbach directing “Barbie” would have certainly been a choice. Last year, Gerwig mentioned that she accepted to write the film and told Warner Bros that Baumbach would be co-writer, but he didn’t even know about it. She only told him afterwards.

It would have been quite odd if the filmmaker behind “Marriage Story,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “Frances Ha” and “The Meyerowitz Stories” took on “Barbie.” Then again, Baumbach was initially known as Wes Anderson’s co-writer on “The Life Aquatic.”

Back to CinemaCon, Gosling admitted that he was hesitant in signing on to play Ken. He “didn't know him from within.” He doubted his "Kenergy." He credits Margot and Greta in the 180 reversal he had on his character, to the point where he was bleaching his hair and shaving his legs.

Robbie added that people from other movies would come to the Barbie set because it was a "dopamine set,” everyone was having fun. “People would tear up and get very excited”