Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach address Ken Movie rumors in Barbie spin-off
Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach address Ken Movie rumors in Barbie spin-off – Ryan Gosling’s work as Ken was praised by critics and audiences, and many want to see him return to the role.
By Megan Sauer
Thanks to the public’s willingness and an infallible plan to promote and exploit it on a commercial level, Barbie became one of the most important successes of the year. Greta Gerwig ‘s direction , the story and even the music were key to connecting with the audience, but it was Ryan Gosling ‘s work as Ken that caught the most attention. In fact, some specialists believe that the actor has a good chance of winning several nominations for different awards, and many fans hope to see him again in a sequel or spin-off, although the scriptwriters cannot yet reveal details about it.
The adaptation tells the story of Barbie, a doll who lives in Barbie Land and who is forced to travel to the real world to discover why she is having negative and pessimistic thoughts that affect her perfection and status among the other dolls. On this journey that will become a process of self-discovery, Ken decides to accompany her because he feels tied to her, a situation that will cause a great change in him when he discovers what she can manipulate and achieve with her patriarchy.
Despite having a message that could be considered simple and definitely direct, Barbie uses comedy and farce to go further and offer audiences something new that also feels very familiar and accessible. Barbie’s transformation and the talks about the contradictions of feminism, as well as Ken’s process of understanding that being “just Ken” is not a bad thing, provoked reactions of all kinds among the public, with the majority recognizing its value and originality. , and a few complaining for the wrong reasons.
Ryan Gosling stole the public’s attention as Ken
Margot Robbie was recognized for her work in bringing a very complex Barbie to life, but it was Ryan Gosling ‘s Ken who caught the public’s attention the most, partly because of his attitude and partly because of what his moral and existential journey represents. Months before the premiere, the actor spoke with pleasure about the film and recognized it as having the best script of his career, and although not everyone understood his emotion, when the film finally reached commercial theaters the performer’s commitment was very clear.
Gosling even recounted what the process of becoming Ken was like and how he decided to participate in the project after seeing one of his daughters’ dolls lying in the garden. It was incredibly fun for the actor to get into the role, but he never lost sight of the message that Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach wanted to send with it. The success of the film assured a future for Mattel’s adaptations, and although nothing is confirmed yet, many are waiting for news about a sequel and several rumors suggest that he could focus on Ken.
Will Ken be the new protagonist of the franchise?
Mattel wants to exploit other of its toys with film adaptations, but considering the millions that Barbie earned in theaters, the most logical step would be to continue with a sequel to build a franchise. Both Gerwig and Robbie have said that they have no intention of making another film, since not all of them need to form sagas, but the rumors do not stop coming, especially about having a new story focused on Ken. In an interview with 60 Minutes (via ComicBook ), Noah Baumbach said:
We can’t comment on that [working a tape about Ken] Gerwig immediately intervened.
When asked about a direct sequel to Barbie , the creators have no problem denying the possibility, but now that a film about Ken is mentioned they decided to respond more vaguely, so their words will fuel the idea that Mattel and Warner Bros. Discovery are looking for a way to continue exploiting the film and could do so with a spin-off of the doll that has already proven its success with the public.