Greta Gerwig says she had a very emotional reaction when stepping foot on the Barbie set for the first time. The Lady Bird director shared the insight as she debuted some new footage from the upcoming movie at CinemaCon.
Appearing alongside Barbie stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and America Ferrera, Gerwig said: "I cried when I stepped on the set for the first time." Per People, she added: "The cars that they made... it was so touching, because all of the people who made the vehicles had just made the Batmobile and were so excited to get the pink paint out."
Viewers got their first glimpse of the intricate world in the Barbie trailer. The vibrant set features pink sand, life-size versions of Barbie’s iconic convertible, pools, and even a pink Oval Office.
Gerwig wasn’t the only one who was blown away either, as Robbie explained the cast and crew of other movies (including Fast X) shooting nearby kept visiting the set too. "You’ve never seen so many grown men find excuses to come to set," Robbie said per The Hollywood Reporter. "It was like a dopamine hit. You were instantly happy, and we felt that every day."
During the Warner Bros. presentation at CinemaCon, Gerwig introduced some new scenes as well. According to THR, this featured strange things beginning to happen in Barbie-land, including cold showers and burnt waffles. After visiting Weird Barbie (played by Kate McKinnon) she’s offered the choice of keeping her Barbie life or going to the real world.
Per Vulture, the footage also revealed that John Cena will be playing a merman version of Ken in the new movie. The Peacemaker star will appear opposite Dua Lipa’s mermaid Barbie in the film set for release on July 21.
For more upcoming movies, here’s our guide to 2023 movie release dates.
