Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, in the lead roles emerged as 2023’s biggest commercial success. Directed by Greta Gerwig, the film captured the hearts and imagination of the viewers, delivering an unexpected success for a project that is essentially based on a toy targeted at young girls.
However, despite the movie’s overwhelming success, thanks to its originality, it will not receive a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Instead, it was announced that Barbie would run in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. As a result, the decision to place the film in the Adapted Screenplay category has sparked an online debate.
The Academy Reveals Barbie Will Contest in the Adapted Screenplay Category
Released on July 21, 2023, Barbie grossed $1.44 billion at the box office, beating competition from Oppenheimer. Greta Gerwig directed the movie, setting a record for the highest-grossing film directed solely by a woman. Due to its overwhelming success, Barbie was poised to rake in several nominations at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards to be held in March, including Best Original Screenplay.
However, in early January, the Academy ruled that Barbie would contest in the Best Adapted Screenplay category at the 96th Academy Awards. For the uninitiated, Barbie is based on the eponymous fashion dolls by Mattel. The screenplay was penned by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach but is not based on any preexisting story within the toy franchise.
The movie loosely borrows characters originating from the toy line to tell an original story. However, by originating from the toy line, the film seems to have been classified in the Adapted Screenplay category where it will face competition from Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon. The final nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on January 23, 2024.
Barbie’s Potential Adapted Screenplay Nomination Sparks Debate
The Academy’s decision to place Barbie in the Adapted Screenplay has sparked an online debate regarding the viability of the decision. Director Judd Apatow was among the first to call out the Academy for wrongly classifying the film. Apatow took to X to voice his displeasure with the change, saying:
It’s insulting to the writers to say they were working off of existing material. There was no existing material or story. There was a clear box. https://t.co/8phHXmag7Q
— Judd Apatow 🇺🇦 (@JuddApatow) January 6, 2024
Fans of the film also came in defense of Barbie, since it has received an Original Screenplay nomination at most other prestigious awards such as Astra Film and Creative Awards, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
On the other hand, some viewers have defended the Academy’s decision since the original products from Mattel provided the characters for Gerwig and Baumbach’s screenplay. The situation was compared to that of modern comic book movies which borrow characters from the source material but tell an original story.
However, these films would still be classified under Adapted Screenplay, justifying the Academy’s decision. Whether Barbie‘s move to the Adapted Screenplay category affects its chances of winning Best Picture remains to be seen. However, with competition from Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, it is unlikely that Barbie will win an Academy Award for screenplay even if receives a nomination.
Barbie is now streaming on Max.
