A Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” spin-off film titled “Ken” is apparently in development at Warner Bros. The movie centres on the titular character, who is thought of as Barbie’s lover. If the spin-off movie happens, Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in Gerwig’s movie, is reportedly planning to return.
Gosling stated that he was “born to play” the role of Ken and further stated that he had always had a Ken inside of him. The likelihood of another actor playing the protagonist as the movie progresses is quite low. Gosling has been arguing for the need to tell Ken’s narrative despite receiving a great deal of criticism from fans for portraying a character who is far younger than he is.
“It’s hilarious. This sort of #notmyken, clutching-your-pearls mentality. Like you ever gave Ken any thought before this? And everyone was okay with his having a job that is worthless. But then all of a sudden, it’s like, “No, we have cared about Ken this whole time.” You didn’t, that is. Never did you. You didn’t give a damn. Never did Barbie have sex with Ken. That is the key idea. You would be aware that no one cares about Ken if you had ever truly cared about him. Your hypocrisy is now made clear. This is the reason his tale needs to be shared, Gosling said to GQ. “I suddenly have feelings for this guy. I’m sort of like his agent,” he continued.
It seems sense that WB would be interested in creating a “Ken” spin-off, especially given that “Barbie” is expected to debut to an estimated $70-80 million at the box office. When even high-profile projects are struggling to make a splash at the box office, the studio must be expecting to capitalise on the social media and marketing sensation that “Barbie” produced with another movie set in the same universe that may bring in comparable box office numbers.
It is unclear if ‘Barbie’ filmmaker Greta Gerwig would be willing to take on the reins of the potential spin-off movie. According to reports, Gerwig will helm a Netflix original movie based on “The Chronicles of Narnia” books. The director may have an agreement to helm two films for the franchise, according to sources. We can anticipate that a new filmmaker will be hired to make the film if WB wants to release Ken before the “Barbie” mania fades away.
Since 1961, when the Ken doll was first released, Mattel has constantly updated the character’s plot. If ‘Ken’ materialises at WB, we may anticipate a thorough examination of the story of the titular figure.
