Is a Ken Movie Coming? Barbie Creators Weigh In
Their answers aren't unequivocal, yet there's a lot to hope for.
Summary
- This year's hit Barbie made audiences fall in love with Ryan Gosling's Ken.
- The filmmakers had an abundance of material for the character while working on Barbie.
- They can't say yet if there will be a Ken movie or not.
Since the release of the first Barbie teaser a year ago, Greta Gerwig's comedy seems to have occupied the thoughts of millions of people from all over the world. Over the seven months before its release in July 2023, Barbie generated so much buzz that it eventually became the most anticipated premiere of this year. Furthermore, the film is also the highest-grossing picture of 2023, with a whopping $1.44 billion at the box office.
Centered around Margot Robbie's Barbie, Greta Gerwig's comedy approached the legendary doll's character from a number of angles, portraying her as both an idol and an instrument of oppression for generations of women. The film followed the character's transformation from a perfect doll to a living person with a whole new life ahead of her
Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling's Ken remained a doll after his brief reign over Barbieland, albeit not so perfect and riddled with an existential crisis. Given the actor's charisma and how believable his character turned out to be, many people would like to see a Ken movie. Fortunately, it's not entirely impossible, say the Barbie filmmakers.
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach On a Ken Sequel
In a recent interview, Barbie's director/principal writer Greta Gerwig and co-creator Noah Baumbach spilled the tea on the possibility of a separate Ken movie. According to Gerwig, they initially had 'way too much material' for Ken – the role they wrote specifically for Ryan Gosling even though the actor hadn't yet agreed to play the character.
'Don't give it away 'cause we might do [a Ken movie]. But yeah, there was a whole [story about Ken ready]. Just more about what the Ken effect in the real world was,' Noah Baumbach abruptly interrupted the director and his life partner.
But it didn't affect Barbie at all – this year's hit turned out the way the filmmakers expected.
'I would say that the [Barbie] movie is essentially always what the movie was. But there was a version that was just… it exploded at a certain point,' Greta Gerwig revealed.
Interestingly enough, when asked if they plan on making a Ken movie, the Barbie creators were unanimous and curt.
'We can't comment on that,' the two said in unison.
Yet, in the end Greta gave us ground to hope for a Ryan Gosling-led Mattel film.
'The truth is, you know, well I guess we'll see,' the Barbie director added.
In case you're at a loss concerning the prospects of seeing a Ken movie in the near future, you know what they say – only time will tell.
Source: YouTube.