Anne Hathaway could replace Amy Schumer as Barbie

After losing Amy Schumer due to scheduling conflicts, Sony appears to have found its replacement for the upcoming live-action film Barbie in Anne Hathaway. Australian Fun Mom Dinner director Alethea Jones is in talks to direct the comedy. Studio representatives say the casting news is premature as scheduling arrangements have not been worked out and there is no deal as yet.

The big screen adaptation of Mattel's iconic toy line was originally expected to start production on June 23, but Schumer's busy schedule, including a promotional tour for her new Fox comedy Snatched, as well as shooting for Rebecca Miller's She Came to Me opposite Steve Carell, precluded it. Sony still intends to stick to its projected June 29, 2018 release date, though it's not clear when production will start. Mattel already has merchandise and product cycles in motion, and shifting the production to accommodate Schumer would have put a strain on those preparations, according to insiders.

The film is said to be in the vein of Splash, Enchanted and Big. The main character gets kicked out of Barbieland for not being perfect enough and lands in a real-world adventure. Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Amy Pascal are producing the film. Richard Dickson, president and COO of Mattel, is executive producing. Parkes and MacDonald initiated the original deal with Mattel in 2014.

While Hathaway doesn't come from the stand-up comedy world like Schumer, she has shown a knack for comedic timing in films like The Devil Wears Prada and Get Smart. Meanwhile, the actress is about to start shooting the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels remake Nasty Women with Rebel Wilson and is co-starring in the Ocean's Eleven spin-off Ocean's Eight.