There are a lot of cinematic wonders awaiting us in the year 2023, but few have garnered as much hype as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The movie first started turning heads in April when the first look at Margot Robbie as the titular character dropped online, but the internet went absolutely nuts when the film went into production and photos from the set circulated around social media. Excitement for the neon pink feature has been everywhere ever since, and now it’s ready to hit new levels with the arrival of the first teaser trailer.
The footage begins with a funny 2001: A Spacy Odyssey spoof featuring a bunch of little girls abandoning their old dolls when they get a look at the magnificence of Barbie (Margot Robbie), but it’s really after that point that the amazingness really starts. We only get brief glimpses at what Greta Gerwig has in store for us with this film, but the preview offers us a brilliant and colorful world, Ryan Gosling’s Ken wearing a bandana and prepping for a fight, Issa Rae leading a celebration, and a pair of dance sequences (one including Simu Liu).
Unfortunately, we aren’t offered a taste of what Barbie will actually be about story-wise, but how could you not be excited to see what’s in store based on this aesthetic-heavy preview?
Not only does this teaser hold back in revealing plot details, its also worth noting that we don’t even see a fraction of Barbie‘s talented cast. In addition to Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, and Simu Liu, you may have also recognized Ncuti Gatwa and Kingsley Ben-Adir (who are flanking Ken), but other stars set to appear in the film include Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Alexandra Shipp, Emerald Fennell, and Rhea Perlman.
Barbie is Greta Gerwig’s directorial follow-up to 2019’s Little Women, and she co-wrote the screenplay with her writing partner and husband Noah Baumbach. The couple recently made the adaptation of Don DeLillo’s White Noise together, with Baumbach writing and directing and Gerwig playing the female lead. It’s the actor-cum-filmmaker’s first live-action film role since 2016 when she starred in Todd Solondz’s Wiener-Dog, Pablo Larraín’s Jackie, and Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women.
Sadly, we still have a while to wait before we actually get to see Barbie. One of the few things we know about the movie is that it is on track to be one of next summer’s big blockbusters – set to be released on July 21, 2023 (the same weekend as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and one week after the arrival of Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1). You can learn about all of the most exciting films that currently populate Hollywood’s slate in the coming year by heading over to our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.