This Barbie Sequel Update From Greta Gerwig Has Us Worried

Continuing the story of Barbie with Ryan Gosling’s Ken getting a spin-off would defeat the point of Barbie‘s box office victory. Barbie, starring Margot Robbie who also acts as a producer, had Greta Gerwig as a director and writer, and the film is on its way to finishing the year as 2023’s highest-grossing movie. Barbie‘s journey to victory has been nothing short of impressive, with a massive $1.4 billion at the box office (via The Numbers), and the conversation about sequels and spinoffs is only natural.

Margot Robbie’s Barbie’s story wrapped up at the end of Barbie, and there’s no official confirmation of a follow-up. If Barbie were to get a sequel, it would need to reunite Robbie, Gerwig, and Gosling to recapture the original film’s magic. Since neither Robbie nor Gerwig seems too excited about a possible sequel at the moment, there might be a way to continue the story via spinoffs. While looking at Gosling’s Ken for a possible spinoff is the next logical step, the possibility of Ken’s solo film would defeat Barbie‘s purpose and box office success.

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A Ken Spinoff Would Defeat The Point Of Barbie’s Success

Ken was a star on his own, but he only lived in Barbie’s world

Ryan Gosling’s Ken spinoff would defeat the point of Barbie’s success. In a recent interview with 60 Minutes Overtime, director Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach hinted that a Ken spinoff is a possibility, without giving away too much. Although they neither confirm nor deny the claims, their cryptic answers make it sound like a Ken spinoff might happen in the future. From the looks of things, this discussion stems from the overwhelmingly positive reception to Ryan Gosling’s performance in the film. However, interest in a Ken spinoff seems to ignore what his story was meant to represent.

Ken eventually understood why the patriarchy was bad, before finally starting his own journey without Barbie, and finding his own identity as “just Ken.” But while Ken provided the much-needed humor and had amazing chemistry with Robbie, Barbie was still a film about female empowerment. It was an amazing success because it targeted women. The prospect of continuing the story with a spinoff starring Ken raises some eyebrows if the studio’s first reaction is to continue a popular feminist movie with its male counterpart. A Ken spinoff is not the right step for equality, and it completely misses the meaning of Beach Ken, the Kendom, and the Barbie movie as a whole.

Barbie’s Ken Spinoff Sounds More Likely To Happen Than Barbie 2

Barbie doesn’t really need a sequel

When it comes to the future of Barbieland, a Ken spinoff sounds more likely than a Barbie sequel. Based on Greta Gerwig’s recent interview, Ken might provide a way to continue the story without Barbie. Margot Robbie herself addressed the possibility several times, and her comment about it not being built for a sequel shows why Barbie 2 shouldn’t happen. Both Gerwig and Robbie have shown so much passion and love for the project, but that isn’t reason enough to warrant a sequel. The film was originally planned as a standalone story, and, despite its popularity, there is so much to learn from Barbie‘s success and apply to other original films.

Barbie’s story came to a close in the first film after giving up her previous life as Stereotypical Barbie to become an ordinary human. The rest of the Barbies managed to vote not to change the Constitution, making several changes that included the Kens in the lower courts. The story wraps up nicely for all the characters from Barbieland and doesn’t set up a clear continuation. Barbie doesn’t need a sequel to be considered a success, as this year’s box office proved.

A Barbie Spinoff Can Work – But Not Starring Ken

Barbie could continue with a different spinoff

Even though there is no need for a Barbie sequel or spinoff, it might happen in the future given its popularity and success. What was special about Barbie was the fact that it built such a complex universe, especially in Barbieland, and that could help in the future. If a continuation were to happen, a Barbie spinoff could work, but it shouldn’t star Ken as the lead. Barbie had a big ensemble full of characters who might be capable of headlining their own stories.

Issa Rae’s President Barbie could have a sequel that shows how Barbieland has changed since the film ended, and could also still involve the Kens. Another Barbie that could make a great lead is Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon). She is a sort of outcast guru in Barbieland, and Barbies go to her whenever they have a big issue. McKinnon’s Weird Barbie also played a big part in saving Barbieland, and she could get a Barbie prequel about her enthralling backstory about being played with too hard and how the other Barbies reacted when she first emerged. Either idea would have a better chance of honoring the core premise of the Barbie movie.

Source: 60 Minutes Overtime