Mattel: Celebs Rumors

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Former head of drama development at Disney’s 20th Television Michelle Mendelovitz has been named head of Mattel Television Studios. In her new role, Mendelovitz will oversee the development, production, and distribution of Mattel’s slate of episodic content on broadcast and streaming globally.

Former 20th Television Head of Drama Michelle Mendelovitz has been tapped to take the reins as Head of Mattel Television Studios.

There is an update about the long-awaited live-action Masters of the Universe project.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer In “Masters of the Universe,” He-Man’s nemesis is the evil wizard Skeletor. In Hollywood, his greatest threat has been a list of studio partners that have sidelined him from the big screen for nearly two decades. The blond barbarian, based on a popular set of Mattel toys, may finally win the day.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Barbie” screenwriters Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach recently joined Tony Kushner (“Angels in America,” “Lincoln”) for a discussion about the record-breaking Warner Bros. blockbuster and revealed one of the first notes Mattel gave them on the script: Please don’t have the Mattel exec stand-in characters be shot. In the third act of “Barbie,” an all-out beach battle takes place between the warring Ken characters.

Barbie star Kingsley Ben-Adir should play the next James Bond, according to director Greta Gerwig.Appearing on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast to discuss her record-breaking film about the iconic Mattel doll, Gerwig detailed how Ben-Adir was “so funny” in the role of Basketball Ken, while also praising his classical acting skills.Gerwig described the scene near the end of the film where Ryan Gosling’s Ken gifts his faux-fur jacket to Ben-Adir’s Ken, who then turns around to his fellow Kens and delivers an inspiring speech as their apparent new leader.“He can do anything, and is a very proper, trained British actor,” Gerwig said. “He can do the [Laurence] Olivier voice, so we had versions where he turned around and it was British.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor There may not be a funnier moment on screen this year than when Ryan Gosling yells “sublime!” off-screen in Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar box office smash “Barbie.” That’s why Variety Awards Circuit Podcast had a pressing question that needed answering from the filmmaker herself: Who gets the credit for this brilliant moment? “Ryan had the idea of [Ken] having a private moment that she [Barbie] can hear,” Gerwig reveals. “Because, of course, there’s no walls or privacy in Barbie Land. And then I will give myself credit, I came up with ‘sublime.’ I kept thinking, what’s the funniest word? I kept going back to ‘sublime.’ It’s the oddest word.

Margot Robbie isn’t the only star that has been turned into a Barbie doll.

Barbie was a “terrible idea”.At a special screening at the Writers Guild Of America West headquarters, Baumbach appeared with his wife and Barbie director Greta Gerwig. Baumbach, who missed the Barbie press tour due to the WGA strike, was able to give his first interview about the $1.4 billion-grossing film, as per Variety. Despite Barbie’s global success and critical acclaim, Baumbach didn’t always feel hopeful about the prospect of the movie.

Barbie. and style collabs galore! ! Arnold! And, of course, the iconic, perfect, plastic dolls and worlds of Mattel (which many children are surely clamoring for).Though and Cyber Monday deals are still a month away, we're already seeing plenty of great discounts on bestselling Barbie play sets, houses, Barbie dolls, and accessories in store and at retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

Mattel beat Wall Street expectations in the third quarter for revenue and adjusted earnings per share, thanks in large part due to the successful release of Barbie in July.

Trixie Mattel is opening the doors of her motel to HGTV with the renovation series Trixie Motel: Drag Me Home.

Amanda Holden looked nothing short of incredible as she donned pink PVC to transform into Barbie following the success of the live-action film based on the Mattel character. But the Heart radio presenter was switching up her outfit quite regularly on Wednesday night (October 11) as she hosted the Attitude Awards.

Angelique Jackson Netflix and Shondaland have acquired worldwide rights to “Black Barbie,” a documentary that dives into the history of the first Black Barbie doll — which debuted in 1980, 31 years after the original Barbie — and three Black women at Mattel who advocated for the toy. Directed by Lagueria Davis, “Black Barbie” debuted at this year’s SXSW and the “work-in-progress” cut of the film was met with widespread acclaim.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. After being released for preorder on Mattel’s website on Monday morning, Stevie Nicks‘ first-ever Barbie version of herself sold out within minutes. Now, it’s popping up on resale sites such as Ebay for almost double the price.

Barney movie produced by Daniel Kaluuya will “not be odd”.Following the success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which has become the highest-grossing movie of 2023 worldwide, Mattel is in development on a slate of films based on its IP, with confirmed projects including Polly Pocket and Barney.Speaking to Semafor about the latter, Kreiz said: “That one is getting a lot of reaction. It’s too early to be specific, but I can tell you we are taking a fresh approach that will be fun, entertaining and culturally oriented.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director With Mattel Films off to the races thanks to the blockbuster success of “Barbie,” the studio is moving full steam ahead on its upcoming Barney movie produced by Daniel Kaluuya. The project became a subject of fascination for cinephiles after Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon told The New Yorker in July that the script was similar to an A24 movie and the “surrealistic” films from Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze.

The upcoming “Barney” movie will not be too out there.

Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz is weighing in on the forthcoming Barney film that has Daniel Kaluuya attached.

Andrew Wallenstein President and Chief Media Analyst While “Barbie” may have been a huge opening salvo in Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz’s plan to turn toy brands into media IP, it’s just the beginning of a versatile long-term strategy that will extend far beyond the cinema to TV and gaming for the likes of “Monster High” and “Hot Wheels.” That was Kreiz’s message at his keynote Q&A at the Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit last week in Los Angeles, where he celebrated the big win the Warner Bros. movie delivered for the toy company’s iconic doll — but put it in a broader context.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer On the heels of the record-breaking performance of “Barbie,” veteran film executive Robbie Brenner has been elevated to president of Mattel Films. Brenner moves up from her role as executive producer at Mattel, the longstanding toy company that’s spent years switching focus to original content based on its intellectual property under CEO Ynon Kreiz.

Following the massive success of its live-action Barbie, Mattel Films has tapped Robbie Brenner as President. She had been Executive Producer of Mattel Films since 2018.

Barbie” movie has inspired a cultural phenomenon, contributing to a pink paint shortage and inspiring a fabulously feminine fashion trend, dubbed “Barbiecore.”More than just an aesthetic fad, the Greta Gerwig-directed flick, starring Margot Robbie as the titular Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, has also sparked conversations around mental health and the power of nostalgia.Since the film’s release, Barbie doll sales have reportedly spiked — much of which could be thanks to adult viewers on a search for their “emotional support Barbies,” reported CNN on Tuesday.Recently, adults on social media have shared their newly purchased Mattel dolls, touting the toy in a bid to reconnect with their childhood, reported CNN on Tuesday.The hashtag emotionalsupportbarbie has more than 1.9 million views on TikTok, featuring videos of girls and women — and even men — buying Barbies that look like them, represent their careers or inspire them to be their authentic selves.Many TikTok users in the comments section of these posts rued on the impact of their own emotional support Barbies, as well as other beloved dolls.“My daughter bought me an American girl doll because I never had one as a child. It definitely heals something,” one person wrote.“My parents couldn’t afford to buy me a Barbie.

McKinley Franklin editor Leaders from Mattel, YouTube, Universal Pictures, Google, Amazon and more gathered at Variety’s Entertainment and Technology summit, presented by City National Bank, to breakdown the future of marketing in the entertainment space. Panels included conversations with the leading experts on artificial intelligence, fan-focused growth on social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok and the massive future of online gaming. Here are a few of the key takeaways from a day of lively discourse.

Sophia Scorziello editor In an industry on track to drive around $400 billion in revenue this year, it might seem fine for gaming companies to let go of the reins every now and then when hit games take off. But Javier Ferreira, co-CEO of Scopely (a mobile-first video game developer) argues that it’s very much a business of planning. He says, “We think of games as forever businesses.” Ferreira shared his thoughts on best practices for engaging with today’s gaming communities and the best IPs to invest at the “Big Business of Games with Scopely” panel during Variety’s Entertainment & Technology Summit Thursday.

Barbie‘s still big!

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The gothic supernatural flick, which ABC News called “a face-plant horror splat” is the ninth chapter in Warner Bros. “Conjuring” franchise.It stars Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet and Bonnie Aarons — the latter who is suing Warner Bros.

Barbie will contribute more than $125 million in gross billings to Mattel this year, the toymaker’s CFO said today in a shout-out to the “nice contribution” from the blockbuster film as it closes in on $1.4 billion worldwide.

Having become Warner Bros. and 2023’s top grossing movie of the year at $1.38 billion worldwide, Barbie will become available in homes next week on Tuesday, Sept. 12 for digital purchase and rental.

Whitney Cinkala Variety returns with its annual Entertainment and Technology Summit, presented by City National Bank, on Sept. 21 in Los Angeles and streaming virtually. Recently added speakers include Ynon Kreiz, chairman and CEO of Mattel; and Charles D.

EXCLUSIVE: Besides sweeping the U.S. — and the world — this summer’s blockbuster phenom Barbie introduced fans to the creator of the hugely popular doll, Ruth Handler, who was played in the movie by Rhea Perlman. A potential TV series looks to go deeper into Handler’s story.

McKinley Franklin editor Come on, Barbie, we’re heading back to Malibu! Mattel’s new animated series, “Barbie: A Touch of Magic,” will premiere on Netflix on Sept. 14. Barbie “Malibu” Roberts and Barbie “Brooklyn” Roberts are enjoying their life by the beach in Malibu when they come across a mysterious, mystical baby horse.

The new Barbie movie's popularity has now soared past last year's biggest film. Box office takings in the UK and Ireland have surged past the total for Top Gun: Maverick, new figures have revealed. The fantasy comedy, which stars Margot Robbie as the world-famous Mattel fashion doll, has grossed a mammoth £84.8 million in its first five weeks of release.

Even though kids are heading back to school, the summer box office isn’t giving up yet, and there’s a chance we could near $4 billion thanks to the final act power of Barbie and Oppenheimer. Warner Bros is hoping the first Latino superhero movie, Blue Beetle, will stoke its core moviegoers; that DC title seeing $3.3M last night in previews that began at 2PM from 3,400 locations, while Universal is looking to give guys something to laugh at after Oppenheimer with the R-rated bawdy doggie comedy, Strays, grossing $1.1M from showtimes that began at 5PM at 2,700 theaters.

Michael Cera REALLY wanted to play Allan in Barbie.

Michael Cera has been winning raves for his performance in “Barbie” as Allan, the singular male character in Barbieland who isn’t one of the many iterations of Ken.