Is a 'Barbie' Sequel on the Way?
by EG
Director Greta Gerwig has only had a week to process the success of her movie Barbie, but she's already being asked about her potential plans for a sequel. She's also being asked for her reaction to the right-wing outrage aimed at the comedy. In a recent interview, she gave some answers. Read on for details.
Following Barbie‘s massive debut weekend, Greta Gerwig is opening up about the film’s success, criticism and if she sees a sequel in her future.
During an interview with The New York Times, published online Tuesday, when asked if she sees the Margot Robbie-led film as the start of a franchise or a complete story, the director responded, “At this moment, it’s 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,” she explained. “I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream, but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”
Gerwig’s comments come after a record-breaking debut weekend for the movie and director. Not only did Barbie score one of the top openings since the pandemic, with $162 million at the North American box office, but Gerwig also broke the opening weekend record for a female director.
The filmmaker was “at a loss for words” after seeing what a massive success the movie was. “It’s been amazing to walk around and see people in pink,” she added. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something like this.”
At times, it’s even been difficult for her to grasp the response. “I think part of the reason I was so fixated on volume levels [in theaters] was because it was a thing I could concentrate on,” she said. “But 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.”
Many viewers have taken to social media after watching the film to praise it and its inclusion of deeper issues such as sexism, female empowerment and self-determination. But some conservative pundits have gone on to bash the movie as being “woke” as well as reportedly burning their Barbies.
Gerwig noted that she absolutely did not anticipate that type of reaction. “Certainly, there’s a lot of passion,” she said in response to the criticism. “My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men. I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.”
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.