Free Guy director says Barbie’s success affected plans for sequel

Barbie – 88% is close to finishing its run on the global billboard and since its premiere it has become one of the most important titles of the year and even in history thanks to its theme and its Greta Gerwig as director. The film generated many debates among viewers, as some considered that it promoted hatred towards men, and others said that it served as a good litmus test to measure the machismo of a couple. Now, the adaptation is embroiled in a curious controversy because its very existence perhaps ended plans for a sequel to Free Guy: Taking Control – 96%.

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Mattel spent years looking for the best way to make a live-action film of its most famous doll, but the plans always fell apart because the ideas were not interesting or strong enough to do justice to Barbie’s legacy. In fact, the rights went through several production companies that at the time really tried to develop a unique narrative, but they couldn’t make much progress and ended up giving up. Things took a very special turn when the proposal landed at Warner Bros. Discovery and Gerwig offered a great script.

After several months of uncertainty and many doubts among the public, the film premiered its first trailer and established everything that would serve to promote the adaptation, from the characterization of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken to the existential feminist theme that the director had promised from the beginning. Due to the context of the summer billboard and its release date, Barbie he teamed up with Oppenheimer – 95%, but now it could connect with other titles for very peculiar reasons.

The success of ‘Barbie’ could affect other proposals in the future

The way that Barbie conquered the international billboard in record time, it seriously affected other premieres. Christopher Nolan’s film was saved by coming in second place and gaining momentum from its publicity, but this was not the case for other projects. Although the story of the doll was expected to become a great success, few imagined that it would break so many records and establish itself as one of the best premieres in history. Nobody wanted to compete with Barbiebut it was too late to change plans and titles like Ninja Turtles: Mutant Chaos – 92% and The Megalodon 2: The Great Abyss – 39% were left far behind despite looking for a summer space to improve their box office.

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The unexpected duel between ‘Barbie’ and ‘Free Guy’

Now that its box office history is clear, the impact of Barbie It will continue to be analyzed now for its effect on upcoming films and plans that will have to change to avoid being compared to the film. For starters, the adaptation is going to promote a bunch of similar toy movies, an idea that audiences don’t love, but that Warner Bros. Discovery will be the first to take advantage of. Likewise, other films that have not yet been filmed or produced will also have to take their plot into account, as it could turn out to be very similar, which would lead to certain failure.

In this category is the possible sequel to Free Guy: Taking Control, a film where Ryan Reynolds gave life to a filler character in a video game who makes sense of his own existence. In interview with ColliderShawn Levy, director of the film, explained how the success of Barbie could affect the sequel:

I think (a sequel) is definitely not assured. We love Free Guy and the love for Free Guy that has resonated in aftershocks, so to speak, over the past few years. That’s been exciting for Ryan and me. We are developing a sequel, but the truth is that now you have Barbie who has obviously left an imprint on a character in a fictional world who becomes self-aware. So we’ll only do Free Guy 2 if it’s different from the first movie and if it’s different from other movies.

The narrative of Barbie It is not exactly original at its core, but its way of approaching the issues is what really makes it very special, and it can receive that same praise Free Guy, which at the time caused a very positive impact among the public who felt worn out by the whole issue of the global pandemic. The sequel was confirmed a long time ago, but it seems that there is not much progress yet and there is the possibility that, in the end, those involved decide to abandon the plans, at least at this moment and with the current context that exists in Hollywood.

Don’t leave without reading: Barbie: Greta Gerwig is a genius, says the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery