The cultural steamroller that’s the Barbie film has been rushing ever-nearer since 2018, when Warner Bros. Photos first scooped up the rights to Mattel’s best-known money-maker. There was at all times the hope that Ms. Barbara Roberts—as embodied by actress Margot Robbie—might pull large numbers on the field workplace, however the response since Barbie set photographs first dropped in 2022 stunned even her most ardent supporters (and her producers). The photographs of Robbie and co-star Ryan Gosling in head-to-toe neon and curler blades, skating alongside Venice Seaside, lit social media ablaze. A 12 months later, Barbie is projected to make as a lot as $140 million over its opening weekend; Robbie is without doubt one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood; and Barbiecore is the most popular pattern in trend.
With outcomes of that caliber, Mattel—already eager on transferring as a lot of its toys onto the massive display as potential—could be hard-pressed to seek out causes not to make a Barbie sequel. It definitely appears a probable end result, given feedback made by each Robbie herself and Barbie director Greta Gerwig in latest months.
As Robbie advised Time in June, “[The story] might go 1,000,000 totally different instructions from this level. However I feel you fall right into a little bit of a lure if you happen to try to arrange a primary film while additionally planning for sequels.” Gerwig adopted that remark by tossing a tidbit to Leisure Tonight in July: “I’m simply targeted on getting this one out and crossing all my fingers and toes. After which we’ll see what occurs after that.”
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Nor was this the primary time Gerwig has teased the potential of a complete collection. In November 2022, whereas attending the Academy’s Governors Awards, Gerwig fielded a query from Selection concerning the possibility Barbie is perhaps “the beginning of a franchise.” To which she replied: “I can’t reply all these questions! I imply, it might definitely be thrilling if it was.”
We all know from latest reporting at The New Yorker that Mattel has dozens of toy-inspired tasks on the earth, together with movies about Barney, He-Man, and Polly Pocket. It will stand to purpose a Barbie sequel could be a pure extension of the corporate’s already no-holds-barred Hollywood technique. However till we get the official phrase from Gerwig herself—or, extra possible, from Barbie’s company overlords—we’ll simply need to hope there’s extra adventures within the Dreamhouse to return.
Positive sufficient, talking to the New York Instances following opening weekend, Gerwig shut down hopes for a sequel or franchise. “At this second, it’s all I’ve acquired,” she stated of her singular Barbie movie. “I really feel like that on the finish of each film, like I’ll by no means have one other concept and the whole lot I’ve ever wished to do, I did. I wouldn’t need to squash anyone else’s dream however for me, at this second, I’m at completely zero.”
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Tradition Author
Lauren Puckett-Pope is a employees tradition author at ELLE, the place she primarily covers movie, tv and books. She was beforehand an affiliate editor at ELLE.