Mattel Films made a huge splash in 2023 with Barbie, turning a plastic doll into a billion-dollar cultural phenomenon. But for the president of Mattel Films, Robbie Brenner, that was just the beginning.
As she steers the company into its next wave of films, she’s betting on fresh talent and great storytelling to keep the momentum going.
Last month, Brenner and a team of Mattel executives attended the Sundance Film Festival to scout out some talent. Brenner said:
“Sundance is where the future is. We’re trying to get in on the ground floor with these great artists before they become the next Christopher Nolan.”
I’m not sure if Sundance is where the future is because in recent years, most of the films that have been released there have not been good. In my opionion, ever year the wave of movies there gets more and more disappointing.
While I understand what they are trying to do this could backfire on them. We’ve seen time and time again how these indie filmmakers jump from low budget to high budget films and the result is a disaster. Some of these indie filmmakers just aren’t ready or prepared to take on these kinds of big projects. Hopfully Mattle cooses their talent wisely.
Now, hiring indie director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) to helm Basrbie, was a great choice, but she made some great films before that. Regardless, a movie about a plastic fashion doll was a big risk, but it spayed off.
Gerwig crafted a film that was playful and subversive, ultimately landing Barbie an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and nearly $1.5 billion at the global box office.
Brenner says: “Barbie was a proof of concept. It let people in the industry know that we’re here, we mean business and we want to set the bar high.”
When Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz approached Brenner over six years ago about bringing Mattel’s IP into Hollywood, it wasn’t exactly on her radar. She admitted:
“It was the furthest thing from my mind to take a job like this. It fell out of the sky. I was in my producing space, trying to make movies that spoke to me and that mattered.”
But she and Kreiz discovered a shared passion for storytelling and an entrepreneurial drive. She said: “He needed somebody that had an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m the kind of person where the door can close on me 1,000 times and I’m still knocking on it. You have to do that in independent film.”
Now, with Barbie as a launching pad, Mattel Films is rolling out a slate of projects that lean into the unique DNA of each property. The Masters of the Universe movie, directed by Kubo and the Two Strings filmmaker Travis Knight, started shooting in February.
In regard to that, Brenner said: “It’s utterly unique—from the color scheme to the characters to the tone—but it also has a classic hero’s journey.”
Meanwhile, John Cena is revving up for a Matchbox movie currently filming in Budapest, and other projects in development include a Polly Pocket film with Lily Collins, Bob the Builder with Anthony Ramos, a Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots adaptation with Vin Diesel, and Tom Hanks taking on the role of Major Matt Mason.
While Mattel is giving its filmmakers creative freedom, there are a few boundaries. “We’re not going to make an R-rated movie. We don’t need curse words or sex or extreme violence. Beyond that, we’re very open.”
That openness doesn’t mean they’re chasing another Barbie-level phenomenon. She acknowledges: “Barbie was an absolute unicorn. Will that ever happen again? I hope. But all the stars aligned perfectly on that.
“I have to keep my head down and not think about the success of Barbie. I have to think about making each movie distinctive.”
And that is Brenner’s focus… building a slate of films that stand on their own, not just as toy adaptations but as compelling, character-driven stories.
Via: Variety