‘Barbie 2’ is in the works. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have finally “cracked the code” and pitched the idea for a sequel to Warner Bros’ $1.4 billion box office behemoth (via THR). Margot Robbie would return in the lead role.
Representatives for Gerwig, Baumbach and Warner Bros. deny that a sequel is in the works, but THR’s sources are being bullish about their reporting, and insisting that their well-placed sources have given them accurate information.
Gerwig had repeatedly stated that she wasn’t sure if she would want to return for a sequel, adding that she didn’t have any ideas to continue the story. Robbie previously echoed Gerwig’s sentiments, expressing doubts about a “Barbie” sequel:
I think we put everything we had into this one. We didn’t build it to be a trilogy or something. Greta [Gerwig] put everything into this movie, so I can’t imagine what would be next.
Translation: they hadn’t been offered the right amount of money yet … We all know that money talks in Hollywood and not making a sequel to the billion dollar-grossing “Barbie” was never an option.
It certainly didn’t help matters that, back when the first one got greenlit, Gerwig, Robbie and Ryan Gosling did not have deals in their contracts to return for a sequel. This was rather unusual given that most big franchises would snap up their talent in options before the movie gets released. So, this means that that the trio would most likely be offered an exorbitant amount of money to come back.
Gerwig is currently in pre-production on Netflix’s ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ adaptation, recently described as “very rock and roll” by its producer Amy pascal.