Margot Robbie to play Barbie in first live-action movie

LOS ANGELES: Australian actress Margot Robbie is all set to  play Barbie,  Mattel´s iconic doll, in the first live-action feature movie.

The Oscar-nominated actress Robbie, 28, will co-produce the film, which is  about the iconic and controversial Barbie doll, who has enjoyed multiple careers in her 60-year lifetime,  toy maker Mattel and movie studio Warner Bros, the partners to make the film, on Tuesday announced.

Barbie, who is going to celebrate her 60th birthday this year, has already been the subject of dozens of animated movies, though none were ever distributed in theaters.

The feature film will be the first from the toy manufacturer´s new studio Mattel Films, and co-produced with Robbie´s production company LuckyChap Entertainment.

Launched in March 1959, the character of Barbara Millicent Roberts is from the fictional town of Willow, Wisconsin.

Despite Mattel´s release of different versions of Barbie with varying of eye colors, hairstyles and skin tones and, more recently, more diverse body types, the actress portraying Barbie for her big-screen debut will resemble the doll´s original blonde, blue-eyed iteration.

"I´m so honored to take on this role and produce a film that I believe will have a tremendously positive impact on children and audiences worldwide," Robbie said.