‘Barbie 2’: Is Director Greta Gerwig Planning for a Sequel?

Barbie has become a global phenomenon in the few short weeks since its release.

Produced for a budget of approximately $145 million, Greta Gerwig’s film has surpassed a historic milestone. The movie has now made more than $1 billion in global box office revenue, making it the highest-grossing movie ever directed solely by a woman. And with that kind of success, fans are naturally asking, is Barbie 2 already in the works?

Currently, Gerwig is brushing off rumors that she may already be in talks to direct Barbie 2.  The filmmaker, 39, spoke with Variety about the possibility of getting on board for a sequel, saying, “At this moment, it’s all I’ve got.”

She also spoke to New York Times on the topic, saying, “At this moment, it’s [the first film is] all I’ve got. I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea. And everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did. I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream. But for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”

Gerwig has also confessed that she’s overwhelmed by Barbie‘s reception and success. She noted, “[I’m] at a loss for words. It’s been amazing to walk around and see people in pink. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something like this. Mostly, it’s been running into people on the street who are excited and happy and exuberant. Because so much of this movie was an attempt to create something that people would want to experience together. So, it’s the little things.”

Does she have any regrets of what didn’t make the film, that could potentially be material for a Barbie sequel?

“There were definitely lots of things that didn’t end up in the final movie. Because it would be five hours, which is too many baby angel heads,” Gerwig states. “But I didn’t ever end up cutting anything because I was made to. Everything was in service of the story and the rhythm of the storytelling. I don’t think I ever had to cut something where I thought, ‘Oh, that’s been taken from me by my corporate friends.'”

Mattel Wants More Than Just Barbie 2…

However, Mattel executives aren’t being shy about the fact that they want more than just Barbie 2, they want a series of ‘Barbie spin-offs.

“Barbie, as a brand, has many different iterations. The product lines of Barbie is a very broad brand,” Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, whose role in the film was played by Will Ferrell, said to Variety.

“In addition to the main Barbie figure, she has family. She has a lot of elements around in her universe. It’s a very rich universe. It’s a very broad and very elastic brand, in terms of opportunities,” Kreiz continued. “At the outset, we’re not saying, ‘Okay, let’s think already about movie two and three.’ Let’s get the first one right and make that a success. And if you do that, opportunities open up very quickly, once you establish the first movie as a successful representation of a franchise on the big screen.”

“Successful movies lend themselves to more movies. Our ambition is to create film franchises,” Kreiz added.

Kreiz also spoke during Mattel’s latest earning call for the company, saying, “We haven’t announced anything. And it’s probably a bit early to talk about sequels. But obviously, with the success of the film…that would invite more opportunities. We operate in an industry where everyone is looking for these moments, for these brands, for these cultural events. And they happen. But they don’t happen that often. [So] we expect the brand to continue to grow, we expect to have more opportunities in content. And this is not just film, this is television and other areas.”

Although the sequel’s confirmation remains pending, Kreiz cautioned that the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike could result in the postponement of certain projects currently in the developmental stages.

“We’d made significant progress before the strike and expect to continue to make progress after the strike. We are watching the space and will manage according.” Kreiz added.

Mattel’s Upcoming Movie Plans

Barbie isn’t Mattel’s only brand with big-screen plans. The toy brand has a number of other projects heading to the theater. Those projects include Barney, Polly Pocket, and Hot Wheels movies.

Ahead of Barbie’s July 21st release, Kreitz spoke with Time magazine noting that they company has a clear goal. They want to create something that goes behind being just a toy advertisement. And that vision gets realized with working with creative talent such as director Greta Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach, with whom she wrote the script.

“We’re looking to create movies that become cultural events. If you can excite filmmakers like Greta and Noah to embrace the opportunity and have creative freedom, you can have a real impact.” Kreitz said in the interview.

Warner Brothers Weighs In on Barbie’s Box Office Success

Adding another $127 million to its box office internationally over last week weekend, studio representatives are using the phrase “Barbillion” to describe the movie. The film, starring Margot Robbie, 33, as Barbie and Ryan Gosling, 42, as Ken, crossed $400 million domestic and $500 million internationally faster than any other movie at the studio, including the Harry Potter films. 

Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, who oversee domestic and international distribution for makers Warner Bros, said in a joint statement, “As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance. But Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water,”

Warner Bros co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy also praised director Gerwig, saying the film is a, “is testament to her brilliance and to her commitment to deliver a movie that Barbie fans of every age want to see on the big screen.”