Los Angeles, Jul 25 (IANS): Hollywood star Anne Hathaway is in talks to replace actress Amy Schumer for the upcoming live-action "Barbie"

After losing Schumer due to scheduling conflicts, Sony looks to have found its replacement for the upcoming live-action "Barbie" with Hathaway, reports variety.com.

Australian "Fun Mom Dinner" director Alethea Jones is in talks to helm the comedy.

Studio representatives said the casting is premature as scheduling arrangements have not been worked out and there is no deal as yet.

The big screen adaptation of Mattel's iconic toy line was originally expected to start production on June 23, but Schumer's busy schedule included a promotional tour for her new Fox comedy "Snatched," as well as shooting for Rebecca Miller's "She Came to Me" opposite Steve Carell.

Sony still intends to stick to its projected June 29, 2018 release date, though it's not clear when production would start. Mattel already has merchandise and product cycles in motion, and shifting the production to accommodate Schumer would have put on a strain on other partners on the film, according to insiders.

The "Barbie" movie is said to be in the vein of "Splash", "Enchanted" and "Big". In it, the main character gets kicked out of Barbieland for not being perfect enough and lands in a real-world adventure.

Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Amy Pascal are producing the film. Richard Dickson, president and COO of Mattel, is executive producing.

Parkes and MacDonald initiated the original deal with Mattel in 2014.

While Hathaway doesn't come from the stand-up comedian world like Schumer, she has shown a knack for comedic timing in films like "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Get Smart".

Hathaway is about to start shooting the "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" remake "Nasty Women" with Rebel Wilson and is co-starring in the "Ocean's Eleven" spin-off "Ocean's Eight."