Is a “Barbie” sequel really on the pink horizon? Gold Derby sister site The Hollywood Reporter broke the story Friday that the blockbuster film’s co-writers, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, are in the “early stages” of coming up with a story idea for “Barbie 2,” citing two unnamed sources. But before you could say, “Come on, Barbie, let’s go party,” official representatives downplayed the story. Gerwig and Baumbach’s rep claimed, “There is no legitimacy to this reporting,” and a Warner Bros. rep chimed in by saying, “THR’s reporting is inaccurate.”
The notion of a follow-up film would seem like a no-brainer. The 2023 movie, starring Margot Robbie as the classic Mattel doll and Ryan Gosling as her boy-toy Ken, was an unbelievable smash at the box office, earning $636 million in the U.S. and $1.4 billion worldwide. The fantasy movie took place in Barbieland as well as in the real world, where Barbie and Ken met up with a disgruntled Mattel employee played by America Ferrera.
“Barbie” received eight nominations at the 2024 Oscars and won the Best Song prize for “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. But it wasn’t without controversy. Robbie and Gerwig were both surprisingly snubbed, failing to net nominations in the Best Actress and Best Director categories, respectively. However, both of them still earned nominations for the film: Robbie in Best Picture as a producer, and Gerwig in Best Adapted Screenplay alongside her co-writer/husband Baumbach. The other noms were for Best Supporting Actor (Gosling), Best Supporting Actress (Ferrera), Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Song (“I’m Just Ken”).
Gerwig and Baumbach have remained open to the possibility of a “Barbie 2” since the beginning, reportedly stating at Time’s Women of the Year gala, “My North Star is, what do I deeply love? What do I really care about? What’s the story underneath this story? If I find the undertow, then we get it. If I don’t find an undertow, there’s no more.”
Are you excited to see a “Barbie” sequel, if and when it comes to a theater near you? Vote in our poll below and then be sure to sound off in the comments section and in our movie forums.
Note: The Hollywood Reporter and Gold Derby are both owned by Penske Media Corporation.
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