Popular British doll Sindy is preparing to break out of her box and onto the big screen in a new live-action musical feature that threatens to rivalGreta Gerwig’s mega-hitBarbieand giveMargot Robbie’s Mattel toy some stiff competition. The 2023 film broke the mold of traditional Hollywood blockbusters and quicklybecame a cultural phenomenon. Its worldwide gross reached $1.4 billion at the box office, while it also received wide critical acclaim, proving that there is an audience out there eager to discover why life in plastic is so fantastic.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, A2R2 Productions – the production company launched byAlien: Romulusstar Archie Renaux and producer Arjun Rose last year – has acquired the film rights to Sindy, the fashion doll created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys in 1963 as a rival to the US counterpart. The team are reportedly planning to bring her story to the big screen via a “bold, feel-good live-action musical that mixes heart, humor, and high fashion.” It appears to be checking many of the same boxes asBarbiein the hopes of replicating its success.
How Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Breaks Barriers for Other Women Directors
Though arguably it shouldn’t, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie helps remove the stigma from other women-led productions.
The similarities betweenBarbieandSindydo not stop there. A2R2 are said to be on the hunt for a “visionary female director” to helm the feature, following in the footsteps of Gerwig. The story ofSindyis described as “a funny, fierce and emotionally honest fairy tale for our filtered age” that will explore friendship, identity, and being seen. Whoever takes it on has very big shoes to fill, as Gerwig’s achievement withBarbieextended beyond its box office records and positive reviews. It ended up becoming asignificant milestone for female filmmakers.
Lena Dunham, who previously dropped out of directing a film about Polly Pocket dolls, referenced the challenges of bringing such stories to the screen during an appearance on a podcast while on the promotional rounds for her Netflix showToo Much. She explained:
“What Greta did withBarbie, managing to take this piece of IP and make it so personal and specific, it’s really, really hard, and I just didn’t think I was going to be the best person for the job. Because Greta did it so well, it’s always going to be unnecessarily compared, and she’s my friend and I love her, and we’ve known each other for 20 years, like, who needs that? That movie just changed the world.”
Is ‘Barbie’ Getting a Sequel?
Given the overwhelming success and popularity ofBarbie, rumors of a sequel have been circling for quite some time. Speculation ramped up last year when a report surfaced with word from multiple sources that Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach had"hatched an idea" for a second outingwith the first film’s eponymous doll. However, when reached for a comment at the time, a representative for Gerwig and Baumbach said, “There is no legitimacy to this reporting.” While a Warner Bros. representative called the original report “inaccurate.”
Neither the creative team nor the studio have confirmed any concrete plans to revisit Barbieland, though it seems like numerous people are waiting for the inevitable announcement, including those looking to join the cast. One of Hollywood’s most talked-about stars recentlythrew her hat into the ring(she needn’t worry as Barbie has a wardrobe full of them anyway), saying about her potential involvement in aBarbiesequel, “I’d have to read a script, but I’m a huge, huge fan of Margot [Robbie], so I would not be opposed to it.”
WhileBarbieis seemingly taking a short hiatus from the big screen, Mattel’s rapidly growing slate of toy-to-film adaptations hasadded another doll-centric projectto the mix. This one is set to be a live-action film directed byM3GANandM3GAN 2.0helmsman Gerard Johnstone. He recently expressed his anticipation for “audiences to step into the weird, wonderful world of misfit magic” he is about to create, as he praised Mattel Studios for not being “afraid” to take bold swings with their IP, as proven by Gerwig’s nuanced take on the Barbie doll.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
