'90210' hottie could play Ken in Barbie movie

Mattel has teamed up with producer for live-action film about iconic doll

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Getty Images, Mattel

Trevor Donovan could play a real-life Ken doll in the upcoming Barbie movie.

By Marc Malkin

updated 8/3/2011 10:59:51 AM ET

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If there's anyone who should play Ken in the upcoming live-action Barbie movie, it has to be Trevor Donovan.

Seriously, the "90210" hottie is a walking Ken doll.

Well, guess what?

PHOTOS: Trevor Donovan is smokin' in our Bulging Biceps photo gallery

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I hear Mr. Donovan has met with producers and is now in the running for the role of Barbie's beau. Mattel marked Barbie's 50th anniversary two years ago by announcing that the company had teamed up with "Dreamgirls" producer Laurence Mark to develop a live-action flick based on the iconic doll.

Barbie has had many Hollywood incarnations since she debuted in 1959, most recently voiced by veteran voice actress Jodi Benson in "Toy Story 3." Ken was voiced by Michael Keaton.

Story: Hasbro meets Hollywood: When childhood toys turn into movies

What the plotline of the Barbie movie will entail is anybody's guess right now. The filmmakers certainly have a lot to draw from.

VIDEO: Speaking of blondes, take a look at Nicole Kidman

A romantic comedy comes to mind, especially after Mattel announced in 2004 that the couple had split up after being together for 43 years. But two years later, they got back together after Ken had a makeover that included board shorts and a white T-shirt.

Story: What happens when Smurfs meet the stars?

Yes, I realize I'm talking about a pair of dolls.

"The Smurfs" was just the beginning of the new wave of retro toys turned into movies. Do you think a Barbie movie is a good idea? Discuss with us on Facebook.

Photos: Summer's upcoming blockbusters

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Summer movie season
Summer's here, and the time is right for hiding in dark, air-conditioned theaters, watching some sequels that are already sequels to sequels. And perhaps a good original movie or two. Strap yourself in for the blockbusters to come -- "Bridesmaids," seen here, is already marching down the theater aisle. --Dave White (Universal Pictures) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' (May 20)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush

What it is: "Pirates 4" focuses on something about mermaids and Blackbeard and zombies and the Fountain of Youth. Look, are you going to see this for the plot or because you want to watch Johnny Depp and Keith Richards out-stagger each other? Don’t lie to yourself.

Biggest fear going in: That the filmmakers will muddy the water with foolish ideas about having something to say instead of allowing Depp’s antics and the special effects to rule the moment. (Peter Mountain / Disney Enterprises) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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'Kung Fu Panda 2' (May 27)
Starring: Voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman

What it is: Having established his awesomeness as the awesomest fighting panda in the awesome original, Po (voiced by Black) returns in "Kung Fu Panda 2" to awesomely battle a very mean peacock.

Potential to be awesome: Show of hands, who didn’t like the first film? If the filmmakers don’t mess with that installment’s formula of great animation plus charm plus wit, all will be well and children’s karate classes will reap the benefits. (DreamWorks) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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'The Hangover Part II' (May 27)
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms

What it is: "The Hangover Part 2" is, a) The same movie as before but in a new city and b) a kind of shameless cash-in and c) Zach Galifianakis’ ticket to never having to work again if he doesn’t feel like it (except he feels like it a lot and is currently tied with Natalie Portman in what feels like a bizarre ubiquity contest).

How funny it will be: Pointlessness be darned, you can count on Galifianakis. He owned the original and will probably do it again. (Warner Bros) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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'X-Men: First Class' (June 3)
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What it is: "X-Men: First Class" is set in the early 1960s, showing how the X-Teens at Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters became the X-Adults. That means the cast is newer and younger and dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis. You probably never knew that mutant superheroes were part of that thing. That’s what you get for sleeping through history class.

A lesson in jump-starting a stalled franchise: After “X-Men: The Last Stand” annoyed its core audience, a tune-up was needed. What better way to accomplish that goal than to time-travel back to an origin story with a hip young cast? And it makes much more sense than simply saying, “OK, we’re going to make another first chapter film about 'The Incredible Hulk'” or “Hey, remember those old 'Spider-Man' movies from five minutes ago? They don’t count anymore.” (20th Century Fox) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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What it is : It’s 1979 and some geeky, filmmaking kids find an alien. Not a cute one. You can call "Super 8" “Lost” co-creator J.J. Abrams’ more menacing “E.T.” if you want but what you can’t call it is a sequel or remake or reboot. And for a big movie landing smack-dab in the middle of the summer movie season, that feels like some kind of miracle.

Most excellent stamp of approval: Producer Steven Spielberg’s, of course. Advance word is that Abrams has made an exciting valentine to that director’s heyday. Now here’s hoping it lives up to those expectations and avoids falling into the cracks caused by an X-Men/Green Lantern earthquake. (Paramount Pictures) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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What it is: Reynolds is The "Green Lantern." He wears a green suit, fights bad guys and works with an interplanetary corps of power-ring-wearing space cops to maintain order in the universe. Blake Lively plays someone who wears really fashionable clothes, no doubt. OK, lie, she plays an aerospace executive.

Extreme nerd alert: More than “Thor,” more than “Captain America,” this is the Comic-Con date movie of the summer. It comes with the most fan yearning attached and, therefore, the most to lose. If you aren’t on a date with a nerd when you see this, at least you’ll finally get what that circle-in-between-two-lines T-shirt means. (Warner Bros.) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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'Mr. Popper’s Penguins' (June 17)
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What it is: In "Mr. Popper's Penguins," a heartless corporate type (Carrey) learns to be nice when a brood of penguins show up at his doorstep (no word on whether or not he also learns to do that marching thing they’re so famous for). Based on the beloved classic children’s book, it could go a long way toward erasing the memory of Carrey's creepy animated “A Christmas Carol.”

Tailor-made for: Everyone.The book was published in 1938. That means it was also your grandmother’s childhood favorite. And who doesn’t love penguins? (20th Century Fox) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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What Diaz keeps proving: The pretty woman can also be the funny woman. And if this one and “Bridesmaids” hit audiences in the right spot, that whole grown-up female comedy snowball will just get bigger, badder and more impossible for Hollywood to ignore. (Columbia Pictures) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry The Cable Guy, Michael Caine

What it is: Um… OK, so… now the cars are… spies? Whatever, "Cars 2" is about these talking cartoon automobiles, see, and you have to take your children to it. No exceptions. It’s the Pixar joint that’s least loved by adults and most loved by the under-10s, but you have to concede that even when this studio is only batting .500, that’s a way better average than just about everybody else.

Coolest marketing move they could make: Give away tickets. That’s right, let everyone in for free. Pixar already makes about a billion dollars a year on toys and talking Larry The Cable Guy toothbrushes — no joke, they do — so why not just consider the movie itself a loss leader? (Ho / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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What it is: In "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," the cars-that-turn-into-robots continue their never-ending quest to fight and fight and fight and fight. And this time they do all that on the moon and in 3-D. Haters are invited to go see “The Help” or that new Woody Allen movie, whatever it’s called.

Funny joke Michael Bay has already made publicly: He claims that because this one is in 3-D, he held the camera still for more than half a second at a time. What’s he trying to do, make an art film or something? Brace yourself for coherent visuals. (Paramount Pictures) Share Back to slideshow navigation
'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows -- Part Two' (July 15)
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

What it is: 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows -- Part Two' is THE movie of the summer, 10 years in the making. When other sequels tell you they’re the last in the series, they’re always lying to you. This one isn’t. So long, Harry.

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What it is: The theme song to the crudely animated Saturday morning cartoon of the 1960s really says it all about "Captain America: The First Avenger": “When Captain America throws his mighty shield, all those who chose to oppose his shield must yield. If he’s led to a fight and a duel is due, then the red and the white and the blue’ll come through.” And in this introductory course in all things Captain, he throws his shield at Nazis during World War II. Klang!

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What it is : "Fright Night" is a remake of the schlocky 1985 horror movie that no one was demanding be remade.

What’s already very, very strange about it: The project stars Toni Collette and Colin Farrell, two respected actors whose careers tend to point more in the direction of leading roles in higher-profile indie films. And its director is Craig Gillespie, who made the Oscar-nominated/Sundance Film Festival hit “Lars and The Real Girl.” So it’s the arthouse “Fright Night” now? (DreamWorks II) Share Back to slideshow navigation
'Spy Kids 4: All The Time in The World' (Aug. 19)
Starring: Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven, Joel McHale

What it is: In "Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World," the spy kids grew up and, presumably, went off to spy university or something, but they do appear — in what capacity is uncertain — in this movie that’s all about Jessica Alba as a spy mom . Look, whatever it takes.

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'Conan the Barbarian' (Aug. 19)
Starring: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan

What it is: "Conan the Barbarian" gets the reboot treatment with newcomer Momoa (“Stargate Atlantis,” "Game of Thrones") as the man who devotes equal time to sword-swinging, death-avenging and pectoral-oiling. There was much more opportunity to fully commit oneself to each pursuit in fantasy olden times of yore.

Beware the ides of, well, August: This very late summer release might not be the best news for fans of this title. It’s from the man whose last films were the reboots of “Friday the 13th” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and has, sadly, a distinctly minor-league vibe going on already. Also, the closer a film’s release is to Labor Day, the more it all starts to smell like “clearance sale.” Forewarned is forearmed. (Simon Varsano / Lionsgate) Share Back to slideshow navigation

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'Final Destination 5' (Aug. 26)
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What it is: With "Final Destination 5," Death is not a guy you can trust to just go away, even after he promises everything’s cool. He’s got more teens to kill in convoluted ways, this time starting with a suspension bridge collapse and, who knows, maybe winding up at a miniature golf course. All bets are off.

Lies piled up on top of lies: The previous installment was titled “THE Final Destination” and we all believed you. Clearly, “final” means something else in your dictionary, movie. (New Line Cinema) Share Back to slideshow navigation

Universal Pictures
Above: Slideshow (22) Summer blockbusters
Getty Images; Sony Pictures
Slideshow (14) Celebrity cartoon voices
Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures
Slideshow (28) 'Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?'

Show more slideshows

'90210' hottie could play Ken in Barbie movie

Mattel has teamed up with producer for live-action film about iconic doll

Below:

Jump to photos Summer's upcoming blockbusters

Photos: Summer's upcoming blockbusters

Summer movie season

'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' (May 20)

'Kung Fu Panda 2' (May 27)

'The Hangover Part II' (May 27)

'X-Men: First Class' (June 3)

'Super 8' (June 10)

'Green Lantern' (June 17)

'Mr. Popper’s Penguins' (June 17)

'Bad Teacher' (June 24)

'Cars 2' (June 24)

'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' (July 1)

'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows -- Part Two' (July 15)

'Winnie The Pooh' (July 15)

'Captain America: The First Avenger' (July 22)

'Cowboys & Aliens' (July 29)

'The Smurfs' (July 29)

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' (Aug. 5)

'The Help' (Aug. 12)

'Fright Night' (Aug. 19)

'Spy Kids 4: All The Time in The World' (Aug. 19)

'Conan the Barbarian' (Aug. 19)

'Final Destination 5' (Aug. 26)

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