While the Mattel universe takes shape, the team behindPolly Pocketwill have to find another director to helm the project. In a lengthy and personal interview toThe New Yorker, HBO’sGirlscreator, director and starLena Dunhamrevealed that she’s decided to step down as director. The doll movie is yet to get a release date in theaters.
While Dunham made it clear that the decision was extremely personal, she also hinted thatstudio interference might have been one of the reasonswhy she decided thatPolly Pocketwas not the right project for her at the moment. At the same time, chances are that Dunham will still be involved with the production in some capacity, sinceshe penned the screenplay. She also mentioned some heavyweight directors that served as influence for her to make her final decision:
“I’m going to tell you something here that I haven’t told anyone: I’m not going to make the ‘Polly Pocket’ movie. I wrote a script, and I was working on it for three years. But I remember someone once said to me about Nancy Meyers: The thing that’s the most amazing about her is that the movie she makes or the movie she would be making with or without a studio, with or without notes — that somehow her taste manages to intersect perfectly with what the world wants. What a fucking gift that is. And Nora Ephron, too, who was such a mentor to me, but always said, ‘Go be weird. Don’t kowtow to anyone.’ And I think Greta [Gerwig] managed this incredible feat [with ‘Barbie’], which was to make this thing that was literally candy to so many different kinds of people and was perfectly and divinely Greta. And I just — I felt like, unless I can do it that way, I’m not going to do it. I don’t think I have that in me.”
‘Polly Pocket’ Is Part of The Mattel-verse
Polly Pocketwas first announced in 2021, with Dunham attached to write and direct andLily Collins(Emily in Paris) in the lead role. However,Barbie’s performance at the box office in 2023established a sky-high bar for future Mattel-inspired adaptations, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if executives were putting pressure on their teams to create a movie that manages to at least come close to the success ofBarbie.
At the same time, Mattel is preparing a massive takeover of cinema over the next years. The toy company teamed up with film studios to come up with over a dozen projects, includinga Barney movieand the upcomingHot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge. MGM and Mattel Films are yet to announce if Dunham’s exit will affectPolly Pocket’s schedule.
Stick with Collider to find out more news aboutPolly Pocketas soon as it is announced.
