Lena Dunham finally gave people an update on the live action Polly Pocket film prior to showing in Los Angeles, California for its Prime Video movie Catherine Called Birdy. The filmmaker teased her plans for the movie based on the 90s version of the “little” doll to The Hollywood Reporter and discussed her approach to bringing the toy to life.
A live action Polly Pocket movie will be written and directed by Dunham and starring lily Collins (Emily in Paris) was first announced in June 2021. Since the project was first announced, the filmmaker has not given fans any updates about the film. However, during an October 7 event for Catherine Called Birdytold Dunham The Hollywood Reporter that she’s currently finishing a second draft of the script and teased some early details about the film’s plot, saying, “we’re having a lot of fun with the idea of what happens when a little person meets a big world.”
Polly Pocket first captured the hearts of children in the 1980s and since then, the little toys have inspired playlists, cartoons, dolls and web series. And Polly Pocket has done it over the years, from roller skating and snowboarding to living in a fairytale castle. When the film was announced, it was revealed that Polly’s next big adventure would be about the pocket-sized woman who befriends a young girl.
And Dunham revealed how small Collins would be for the THR news reporter. “Let’s just say Polly Pocket was at her best when she was the original teeny-tiny ’90s size,” said Dunham, who described the character as cute and delightful. “They’ve made her a little bigger now, which I support, because of a choking hazard. But I write ’90s tiny.”
Lena Dunham is excited about Greta Gerwig’s Barbie
The movie version of Polly Pocket joins a long line of traits that deal with toys, including the good (The Lego movie), the bad (Little Soldiers), and the ugly (Toys). And as women gain influence in the industry, the doll genre has picked up some steam because the toys they loved and were inspired by growing up, in turn inspired the movies they wanted to make. For example, that of Greta Gerwig Barbie will be one of the most anticipated movies of 2023.
However, with Mattel Films behind both projects, Dunham joked that she feels no doll-related rivalry: “I just want that movie in the world and I want to watch it now. I wish we were at a screening of Barbie straight away.”