WB took a huge gamble when they gave the Barbie movie to auteur director Greta Gerwig, but that resulted in one of the biggest films of 2023.
Now Gerwig has been very clear that she has no plans for a Barbie sequel, but that doesn’t mean that WB won’t be doing it. According to insider Daniel RPK (via @Screentime), WB is allegedly going to push forward with a Barbie sequel with or without Gerwig aboard.
Even if that was the case though, there is also the fact that they would need Margot Robbie to come back onboard; and Robbie was pretty much on the same boat as Gerwig when she said that the first Barbie was meant to only be a standalone film.
If anything, Barbie itself isn’t even the perfect film, despite all of its success. Personally, I think they should have done more with the Mattel suits to better integrate them to the story, or tackle the whole Kens versus Barbies with more depth; but the film definitely shines with its feminist message and commentary on what Barbie as an icon means to pop-culture.
If they do push forward, I am hoping that Gerwig would be attached as a producer. I would love for another director to take on the reins with a different approach to the established myth of the first movie.
Let’s just hope they manage to keep to the core principles of the first film. We wouldn’t want it to end up like the corporate cash grab that people were afraid the movie was going to be.
A Barbie sequel hasn’t been officially announced.