Critics have unleashed a torrent of abuse at comedian and actress Amy Schumer after it was revealed she is in talks to play the title role in an upcoming film about the popular doll Barbie.

Schumer, who on Monday disappointed Australian fans by cancelling her tour Down Under due to illness, is also expected to write the script with her sister.

First broken by Deadline, it did not take long for news of the project to inspire a deluge of cruel comments on social media about Schumer’s appearance.

The film has reportedly been given the green light by Mattel.

The imperfect Barbie

According to Deadline, the Barbie movie will be a mix of animation and live action, with Schumer playing a doll who struggles to fit into the world of perfectly elongated legs and disfigured feet.

Kicked out of ‘Barbieland’, Schumer enters the real world, where she learns that beauty comes from the inside.

The role would not be a stretch for Schumer, who has in the past played flawed women unwilling to conform to the demands of society.

The actress wrote the Judd Apatow-directed 2015 comedy Trainwreck, in which she played a heavy-drinking, promiscuous New York writer convinced monogamy is unrealistic.

Her best-selling autobiography, The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo, frankly discussed casual sex, her own rape and hating the gym.

So those who took to Twitter to bemoan the injustice of Schumer playing Mattel’s iconic, and divisive, beacon of femininity may have missed the point of the casting decision: to shake things up.

But the comments came anyway, with many competing to come up with more ludicrous casting pairings than Barbie and the comedian.

https://twitter.com/Mel_lific/status/804784328639070208

Now that Amy Schumer is playing Barbie I'm more confident that my dream can come true of seeing Oprah Winfrey as the next Spiderman.

— Tony (@GodfreyElfwick) December 3, 2016

Some comments simply went straight to the heart of the objections: Schumer’s weight.

https://twitter.com/MarkDice/status/804818044312657920

https://twitter.com/TuckerGentry/status/805595681901674496

Schumer adept at shutting down trolls

The feisty comedian has a proven track record of dismissing keyboard warriors.

In June, she responded to a raft of cruel comments left on an Instagram post of her wearing a bathing suit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFzID9GqUJY/

“This is how I look. I feel happy. I think I look strong and healthy and also like Miss Trunchbull from Matilda. Kisses!” Schumer wrote matter-of-factly.

Earlier this year, the actress called out magazine Glamour for adding her to their list of inspirational “plus size” women without first consulting her.

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A post shared by @amyschumer

“Young girls seeing my body type thinking that is plus size?” asked Schumer, who wears the equivalent of an Australian size 10 to 12.

Schumer cancels Australian dates

On Monday, promoter Live Nation announced the comedian would be pulling out of the Australian and New Zealand legs of her comedy tour.

Citing an unspecified illness, the tour company said Schumer’s tight schedule meant they had not been able to lock in replacement dates, but that they would attempt to bring her back to Australia “as soon as practical”.

“Tickets purchased by credit or debit card will be refunded in full and you do not need to take any action,” Live Nation wrote on its website.

“Please allow up to 10 working days for the refund to appear in your account.”