Margot Robbie Kills Barbie 2

While this may come as a devastating blow to some, it isn’t a huge shock that Greta Gerwig has no plans of continuing the story of Barbie now that she’s living in the real world. But, then again, the industry is packed so full of reboots, sequels, prequels, and franchises, that the possibility of Barbie 2 made sense in plenty of ways.

As the final moments of the film see Barbie heading in for her very first gyno appointment, it would’ve been interesting (and funny) to see what other situations the creative team would’ve put her in during a second installment.

But these statements from Margot Robbie, who, along with starring as the film’s titular character also served as an executive producer on the project, haven’t been the first ones to snuff out the flame of Barbie 2. Just as Barbie mania was coming to a full fever pitch after its first few weeks in theaters, it was revealed that Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, and co-lead Ryan Gosling hadn’t signed contracts for a sequel. 

Further blowing Barbie 2 hopes out of the water, Margot Robbie made it clear back in September that she wouldn’t be interested in returning to the role. Still, there have been plenty of ideas tossed around about what a Robbie-less sequel could look like. With so many other Barbies still living in Barbieland, there’s plenty of pivoting to cover one of their stories or even to focus on Ryan Gosling’s Ken and the life he’s living now that Barbie is gone.

As for Barbie’s home studio of Warner Bros. Discovery, it would be surprising if they didn’t continue to pitch ideas until blue in the face to make Barbie 2 happen. Blowing the competition out of the water (yes, that was an Oppenheimer pun), Barbie held its own during a terrific year of cinema, raking in more than $1.4 billion at the global box office. Tossing a blue shell at The Super Mario Bros. Movie Barbie quickly toppled it as the year’s number one earner.

At the same time, there’s plenty of reason to leave Barbie alone and not push forward with a Barbie 2 or head into franchise territory. Audiences loved Barbie for a reason and sometimes creative teams push a little too hard to make another success story only to receive negative reviews from their following. So far, in her incredibly successful filmmaking career, Greta Gerwig hasn’t launched any of her projects into sequel territory, something that has likely helped her in the long run.

Of course, the case is still open on Barbie 2. With so many Barbies and Kens to choose from, an off-shoot would be incredibly easy but without Margot Robbie would the tickets sell the same? If Warner Bros. Discovery decides to move forward with a second installment, in whatever way that may mean, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.