The world may have moved on to “Glicked,” but Barbenheimer’s 2023 box-office reign still looms large over Hollywood. Oppenheimer took home a slew of Oscars, including Best Picture, but what about that other coveted prize many have wanted for Barbie: a sequel? Back when the hype was at its most pink and intense, writer-director Greta Gerwig didn’t sound too interested. But that hasn’t stopped rumors, including a new one today, teasing a Barbie 2 in the future.
The Hollywood Reporter cites a “well-placed source” in saying that Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach have “hatched an idea for the sequel, having already brought it to Warner Bros. While it’s said to be in ‘early stages,’ it is understood that finding the story has opened the door for deal talk which, again, is early, another source with direct knowledge confirms.”
Don’t allow yourself to get even a little excited, though. Along with those two tidbits of info came two strong denials. Gerwig and Baumbach’s rep said “there is no legitimacy to this reporting,” while a Warner Bros. representative said THR’s “reporting is inaccurate.”
There are, as expected, zero further details, including whether Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, along with other cast members, might return for a follow-up. Late last year Gerwig said there was enough material generated from the writing of the original script for an entire Ken spin-off, but there’s no way of knowing what direction Barbie 2—if Barbie 2 ever even happens—might take.
That said, you can’t blame whoever’s putting those rumors out there for trying to hype up a sequel, real or imagined, to the billion-dollar hit. Mattel is probably not going to rake in that kind of cash with that View-Master movie it’s trying to make, for instance.
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