With Greta Gerwig’s Barbie having proven how lucrative Doll Cinema can be, Mattel is further cashing in: The company and Paramount have teamed up to develop a feature film based on their historical American Girl dolls.
Lindsey Anderson Beer, who most recently wrote the Stephen King spinoff film Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, is set to write and produce the as-yet-untitled American Girl movie: “Growing up, my sister and I were American Girl girls,” Beer said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). “They didn’t feel like dolls to play with, rather real people whose worlds we got to imagine ourselves in. They are historically accurate toys and accessories that feature elaborate and immersive backstories uniquely suited to bring to screen.”
The ever-rotating line of American Girl dolls features characters each set in their own specific era of American history. They launched in 1986 with Samantha, an orphan raised by her wealthy grandmother at the turn of the century; Kirsten, a Swedish immigrant growing up in mid-19th century Minnesota; and Molly, a young girl in Illinois whose doctor father is stationed in England during World War II.
Related Video
Though there have been a handful of American Girl feature films in the past — including one starring a tween Olivia Rodrigo — it sounds like this one will focus on the actual dolls á la Gerwig’s Barbie, rather than the backstories of the characters they represent.
Mattel announced earlier this year that they’re also developing a Polly Pocket film, with writer-director Lena Dunham and starring Lily Collins, as well as an “emotional” and “gritty” Hot Wheels project helmed by J.J. Abrams.
