If there’s one straightforward lesson to be discovered from final weekend’s field workplace increase, it’s to wager on Barbie. Greta Gerwig’s audacious tackle the toy earned $162 million domestically and $194.3 million internationally as one half of the moviegoing bonanza often called “Barbenheimer.” However not like Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which follows the daddy of the atomic bomb, IP-originated Barbie has franchise potential—that means a return to Barbie Land is all however assured.
And there’s much more merchandise-based motion pictures the place that got here from. Mattel has greater than a dozen different movies impressed by its product in manufacturing, together with a Sizzling Wheels film produced by J.J. Abrams and Polly Pocket by Lena Dunham. However Barbie units the bar sky-high. “We completely need all of our initiatives to face out and be distinctive, however I can’t say that each film will probably be as nicely positioned as Barbie,” Mattel CEO Ynon Krei advised Self-importance Honest.
Gerwig, the movie’s director and co-writer, downplayed pre-release hypothesis a couple of sequel, telling Leisure Tonight earlier this month. “Truthfully, I’m simply centered on getting this one out and crossing all my fingers and toes,” she mentioned. “After which, we’ll see what occurs after that.” (Gerwig can also be busy with different initiatives proper now: she’s “correctly scared” to start out preparation on two movies in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia universe, as she just lately advised the “Inside Whole Movie” podcast.)
However following Barbie’s huge opening weekend and seismic cultural affect, Gerwig spoke extra freely a couple of sequel, though she’s in no rush to helm it. Joking with reporter Mike Ryan concerning the reverence Ryan Gosling’s Ken has for ultra-masculine figures like Sylvester Stallone, Gerwig cheekily floated the concept that Stallone was “going to direct” a follow-up movie. When reminded that the actor has seized directing duties on different franchises, like Rocky and Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night time Fever, Gerwig added, “I imply, he’s welcome to it. It might be an honor. It might be such an honor.”
Whereas Gerwig could not return to the administrators’ chair, Barbie and Ken are versatile. “I’d work with Greta and Margot on something,” Gosling told ET. Margot Robbie, who can also be a producer on the challenge, advised Time journal, “I believe you fall right into a little bit of a lure for those who try to arrange a primary film while additionally planning for sequels.” However even she couldn’t cease herself from excited about the longer term. “It might go 1,000,000 completely different instructions from this level,” Robbie added.
Quite a few these situations might contain new Barbies and Kens. Whereas selling Oppenheimer, star Cillian Murphy was requested whether or not he’d be keen to go from the bomb to the seaside. “Would I play a Ken in Barbie 2? Positive,” he advised Cinéfilos with fun. “Let’s learn the script and let’s have a dialog.” (His co-star Emily Blunt expressed similar enthusiasm.) There are additionally numerous would-be forged members who, for one purpose or one other, have been unable to hitch Barbie, however may climb on board a sequel. As casting administrators Lucy Bevan and Allison Jones advised Self-importance Honest, Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, Ben Platt, and Jonathan Groff have been among the many males who missed out on enjoying Allan or exhibiting off their Kenergy. Ditto to Gal Gadot, Saoirse Ronan, and Timothée Chalamet, who all had scheduling conflicts with manufacturing. Perhaps Barbie 2.0 would clear a number of of those actors’ dance playing cards.
As for the story itself, Barbie’s years in improvement hell will let you know that the plot prospects for our plastic heroine are huge. Maybe a sequel delves deeper into the bizarro universe of weirdo dolls like Emerald Fennell’s Midge or Michael Cera’s Allan, to not point out no matter “Sugar’s Daddy” is. Or perhaps Barbie creator Ruth Handler, performed by Rhea Perlman within the movie, will get an Oppenheimer-esque biopic—there’s no scarcity of behind-the-scenes drama to discover. My private pitch? A biting political satire starring Issa Rae’s President Barbie and the all-female Supreme Court docket. (There’s loads of real-world dysfunction to parody.)
It doesn’t matter what turns into of a Barbie franchise, Hollywood is little doubt seeing greenback indicators. Regardless of an trade largely on strike, VF’s Richard Lawson writes, “there may be at all times the opportunity of some miraculous deliverance—like, say, studios snapping into new readability and realizing they should harness and repurpose the Barbenheimer zeitgeist as quickly as potential. ‘Give the artists no matter they need, simply make me one other Barbie!’”
