Will Ferrell joins cast of live-action 'Barbie' movie led by Margot Robbie

MANILA, Philippines — The cast of the live-action "Barbie" movie, with Margot Robbie in the titular role, has included veteran comedian Will Ferrell in its high-profile cast.

Ferrell joins a stellar ensemble, which include America Ferrera of "Ugly Betty" fame, Simu Liu from "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Saturday Night Live" cast member Kate McKinnon, Emma Mackey from "Sex Education," Alexandra Shipp who rose to fame for playing the titular role in "Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B" biopic, and Ryan Gosling, who will star opposite Robbie as Barbie's beau Ken.

Ferrell will reportedly play the CEO of a toy company which "may or may not be" Mattel," which is the company that has been making the famous Barbie dolls since 1959.

This will be Ferrell's first movie since Netflix's 2020 film "Eurovison Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" and the upcoming AppleTV+ Christmas movie "Spirited." 

Related: Margot Robbie to portray Barbie in first live-action film

The film will be directed by Greta Gerwig, known for "Lady Bird" and "Little Women." Gerwig also co-wrote the script with her real-life partner Noah Baumbach.

Robbie meanwhile will be producing the movie with her own company LuckyChap Entertainment, which was behind Oscar-nominated films like "I, Tonya" and "Promising Young Woman." Both films centered around female protagonists like Gerwig's aforementioned films.

The live-action "Barbie" film comes after numerous direct-to-television movies starting with "Barbie in the Nutcracker" which came out in 2001. This highly-anticipated feature is currently set for a 2023 release.

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