Mattel to make American Girl movie after Barbie success

Mattel said on Wednesday (Dec 13) it was planning to make a live-action feature film based on its American Girl doll line with Paramount Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment, after the box-office success of its Barbie movie earlier this year.

Shares of the toymaker rose marginally in extended trading after it also said Lindsey Anderson Beer, who wrote the Netflix film Sierra Burgess is a Loser, would write the screenplay and produce the film.

Margot Robbie-starrer Barbie, released in July, recorded the biggest opening of the year, which Mattel in October said was expected to contribute more than US$125 million (S$166 million) towards its Dolls segment’s key gross billings measure in 2023.

American Girl was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland, a teacher-turned-entrepreneur who set out to celebrate girlhood with beautiful dolls and adventurous books that would nourish a child’s imagination and provide education and entertainment.

Paramount Pictures, a unit of media and entertainment company Paramount Global, has produced several film franchises including Mission Impossible, while Temple Hill Entertainment has produced films including The Fault in Our Stars.