evidence: Ryan Gosling and Greta Gerwig on how Ken became the subversive center of ‘Barbie’ When Ryan Gosling first got the screenplay to "Barbie," the title page read "Barbie and Ken" with the "and Ken" crossed out. It was the first sign that this particular script — co-written by the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, working with her life partner and frequent collaborator, Noah Baumbach — would be full of untamed wit. [...] Gerwig and Baumbach, who co-wrote the screenplays to the Baumbach-directed "Frances Ha" and "Mistress America," did extensive research into the history of Barbie, including such discontinued characters as Barbie’s pregnant friend Midge and Earring Magic Ken. (The "Lady Bird" and "Little Women" filmmaker was brought onto the project by Robbie, who as a producer obtained the rights from toy company Mattel through her company LuckyChap Entertainment.)