Greta Gerwig Wants There To Be A Slew Of Barbie Sequels
It seems you can't swing a stick these days without hitting a cinematic universe. What hath the MCU wrought? A new, neon pink franchise now threatens the cinematic landscape, and this one has a certain, shall we say, Kenergy about it.
Greta Gerwig's highly-anticipated "Barbie" hasn't quite hit theaters yet (grab your Barbenheimer tickets while you still can), but the director is already daydreaming about the film's future. In an interview with People, Gerwig said she hopes the project "is the launch of a world and a bunch of different Barbie movies." She continued, "There's a tone and a humor and a joy, and obviously the world is so beautiful. I want to go back to Barbie Land."
There is certainly enough material to support a Barbie universe. The upcoming film, which hits theaters July 21, follows Margot Robbie as the titular doll. While Barbie Land is ostensibly a paradise without aging, death, or cellulite, Robbie's Barbie begins to notice cracks in the facade, whether it's her newly flat feet or awareness of her own mortality. She then sets out on a mission to explore the real world, with Ken (Ryan Gosling) in tow.
But she isn't the only Barbie. The film is populated with a number of alternate Barbies, played by Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, and Dua Lipa, to name a few. There's also a small army of Kens, including Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa. In other words, the potential for future Barbie stories is endless.
Margot Robbie doesn't want to jump the gun
Greta Gerwig is raring to make her plastic fantastic franchise, a sentiment she shares with Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz. In a piece for Time, he spoke effusively about the potential for future entries in the Barbie Cinematic Universe.
Margot Robbie would rather hit the breaks — at least until "Barbie" hits theaters. In the same Time article, she said, "I think you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels." Keep in mind, this is a performer who is no stranger to franchises, having starred as Harley Quinn in multiple projects.
That said, even Robbie has to admit that "Barbie" is a storytelling hotbed. "It could go a million different directions from this point," she continued.
In making "Barbie," Gerwig sought to create a world that was as plastic and tactile as it was fantastical and surreal. In her view, that world is worth revisiting, and the relationship between humans and toys also offers endless points of investigation. "I kept thinking: Humans are the people that make dolls and then get mad at the dolls," Gerwig told the New York Times Magazine. "We create them and then they create us and we recreate them and they recreate us. We're in constant conversation with inanimate objects."
If a "Barbie" franchise comes to fruition, Gerwig may be too busy to go back to Barbie Land. She's working next on a "Chronicles of Narnia" adaptation for Netflix.