Greta Gerwig's next directorial project is a Barbie film starring Margot Robbie

“But with that comes a lot of exciting ways to attack it,” Robbie said at the time. “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…’”

Known for her fantastical adventures and pink-saturated lifestyle, it will be interesting to see where Gerwig takes the iconic children’s doll. Maybe we’ll see Barbie take on a fine arts degree at an all women’s college, or cook ramen in her shabby New York apartment. Still, it’s quite the left field choice for the accomplished director, since toy and doll movies typically fall flat on their molded, plastic faces (unless we’re talking about Disney’s Life Size starring Tyra Banks and Lindsey Lohan).

Gerwig’s known for placing women at the center of stories, in films such as Frances Ha and Mistress America, which she both starred in and wrote. Her other acting credits include 20th Century Women (2016) and mumblecore film Hannah Takes The Stairs (2007). After starting her career in the independent film world, where she met her now-husband and frequent collaborator Noah Baumbach , Gerwig’s latest films have sent her right to the big screen. Gerwig became a more prominent director following the release of Lady Bird (2017), starring Soairse Ronan. In 2019, she directed an adaptation of L.M. Alcott’s Little Women, starring Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Emma Watson, and Ronan. Gerwig received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Little Women.

The production of Barbie will begin in 2022, after Gerwig wraps up her role in Baumbach’s White Noise.