Marvel star Simu Liu has teased the smart, subversive nature of the upcoming Barbie movie, with the actor believing that the project will “surprise a lot of people.” Appearing on a recent episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Liu hyped director Greta Gerwig’s approach to bringing the iconic Barbie doll to the big screen — an approach that left him wondering, “how the hell did they get Mattel to sign off on this?”

“It’s one of the best scripts I’ve ever read. I think it’ll surprise a lot of people because I think a lot of people get cynical when they see Mattel or they see Barbie. The first thought I had after reading the script was how did the hell did they get Mattel to sign off on this, because this is not the kind of movie that corporate overlords sign off on.”

Plot details for the Barbie movie remain unknown, but we do know that the story will introduce several different versions of Barbie and Ken, with rumors suggesting that the film will begin in some sort of “Barbie” world where everyone is either a Barbie or a Ken. Simu Liu will portray one of the Kens alongside Ryan Gosling and Ncuti Gatwa.

Liu continued to heap praise on the Barbie script, calling it “subversive” and “meta” before commending both star Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig for persuading Mattel and Warner Bros. Pictures to greenlight the project.

“This is the type of movie that I love, unabashedly. It’s smart, it’s subversive, and it’s meta, and it makes fun of itself. How did they understand it enough to green light it? I think that’s props to not only Greta but also to Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley who produced it.”

Barbie is Due to Hit Screens Next Year

Simu Liu is not the only Barbie star to tease the surprising strategy behind the movie, with Margot Robbie having described the story as being “a little left of center” that will give audiences something completely unexpected. "We like the things that feel a little left of center," the actress said. "Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, 'Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,' but our goal is to be like, 'Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted.'”

She continued saying, "Now, can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people? Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we’re really firing on all cylinders."

Directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach, Barbie stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken alongside America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman, Ncuti Gatwa, and Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel.

Barbie is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 21, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures.