As the buzz around the blockbuster movie “Barbie” lingers, fans are curious whether a sequel is on the horizon. Despite mixed signals from various sources, the situation remains ambiguous, leaving audiences in suspense.
The 2023 hit film “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, amassed a staggering $1.4 billion in global box office sales. This commercial triumph outshone Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” further cementing its status as a pop culture milestone. The film also garnered an impressive 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and received eight Oscar nominations.
Given this success, speculation about a potential “Barbie 2” has been rife. Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz previously expressed enthusiasm about creating more ‘Barbie’ movies, telling Time, “We’re looking to create movies that become cultural events.”
Greta Gerwig’s Thoughts on a Sequel
In a July 2023 interview with The New York Times, Gerwig revealed she had exhausted her creative ideas for “Barbie.” She stated, “I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea, and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did.” She added, “I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”
Interestingly, Gerwig joked in a conversation with Uproxx about the possibility of Sylvester Stallone being involved, saying, “You never know! Or that he’s going to direct it. I mean, he’s welcome to it. It would be an honor. It would be such an honor.”
While Gerwig seemed uncertain about a sequel, actress and producer Margot Robbie mentioned to Time in June 2023 that discussions about a sequel had not yet taken place. Robbie commented, “It could go a million different directions from this point,” though she also warned, “you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels.”
Conflicting Reports on a ‘Barbie 2’
On December 13, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter suggested that Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, the screenwriting duo behind “Barbie,” had introduced an early-stage concept for a sequel to Warner Bros. However, representatives for Gerwig, Baumbach, and Warner Bros. quickly refuted this, asserting that THR’s report was inaccurate.
In the meantime, Mattel is exploring other film projects, including a Hot Wheels movie with J.J. Abrams at the helm. While the fate of “Barbie 2” remains uncertain, the ongoing speculation continues to capture the imagination of fans worldwide.
