Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures
The Barbie movie has finally arrived overseas, but we know the question already on your mind: Will there be a Barbie 2? Is a return to Barbie Land imminent for Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and even Dua Lipa’s Mermaid Barbie? Is director Greta Gerwig already planning for a sequel of the highly anticipated pink-on-pink fever dream of a movie, given the almost guaranteed fact that Barbie will be a smashing success? Um, maybe! Here’s what to know about a potential Barbie sequel — and sequels.
Will there be a Barbie 2?
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures
When you really think about it, the Barbie World is ripe for spinoffs and sequels. Barbie can do anything and everything: she’s a doctor, a president, a beauty queen, and so much more. We live in an IP-obsessed society where theaters are dominated by franchises — Marvel movies, Transfomers blockbusters, a billion and one Fast & Furious films — so Barbie and her parent company Mattel can surely open up quite a realm of possibility. Mattel is actually planning more than 45 movies based on childhood toys, which might be a little overkill, but OK! (A Barbie vs. Polly Pocket showdown could be more fun than the next Mission Impossible.)
The material is there, but the team behind the original Barbie movie isn’t sure yet. “It could go a million different directions from this point,” Margot Robbie recently told Time of a future sequel. “But I think you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels.”
Director Greta Gerwig has also addressed rumors of more Barbie movies, including one focused on Gosling’s scene-stealing Ken. “Honestly, I’m just focused on getting this one out and crossing all my fingers and toes,” Gerwig told ET. “And then we’ll see what happens after that.” In late 2022, Gerwig said the potential for a Barbie Cinematic Universe was there, but she couldn’t make any concrete plans for a whole series of films yet. “I mean, it would certainly be exciting if it was.”
Who in the cast would return for a sequel?
Much of the Barbie movie magic is due to its extremely talented cast, and one member of the cohort has been vocal about being game to return. Ryan Gosling recently told ET that he’d happily slip back into Ken’s beach ‘fits again. “I would work with Greta and Margot on anything,” he said. That’s great news for the Ken Hive!
What would Barbie 2 be about?
The answer to the biggest question of them all is, right now, a big TBD. Given that we don’t have solid confirmation yet that a sequel is actually on the way, all we can do at the moment is speculate. But if a sequel were to happen, it could be about Robbie’s Barbie or center on one of the other Barbies, like Hari Nef’s Dr. Barbie or Issa Rae’s President Barbie. It could also, as previously mentioned, center on Gosling’s Ken or even Michael Cera’s Allan. There’s plenty of potential. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.
Originally published in Teenvogue.com
