Axed Barbie post-credit scene nearly set up Barbie 2
We're still suffering from Barbie fever, and while the black abyss of Oppenheimer drew some of us in for Barbenheimer, Greta Gerwig's pastel and plastic picture has been striking out on its own. Breaking records for female directors and anything that wasn't a sequel, remake, or superhero property, Barbie is nearing $1 billion.
Barbie surpassed all expectations, and although you could put her back in her box with a one-and-done, we can all see where this is heading. There's been no news on a potential Barbie 2, but apparently, an axed Barbie post-credit scene could've cued a sequel.
Is there a Barbie post-credit scene?
Click to enlargeAs much as we enjoyed sitting in the cinema to listen to the bopping Barbie soundtrack that includes the likes of Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, and Ryan Gosling himself, you'll be disappointed that there's no Barbie post-credit scene to cue a sequel. Apparently, that wasn't always the case.
In an interview with Art of the Cut, Editor Nick Houy inadvertently confirmed an axed Barbie post-credit scene that would've seen the return of Midge (Emerald Fennell). Midge is based on the real-life doll of the same name, who was Barbie's best friend and caught in the pregnancy scandal of 2003 "Happy Family" line.
There's a storyboard for a scene titled "Midge in Labour," which suggests Helen Mirren's Narrator was going to help the pregnant doll deliver her bouncing baby. Barbie pokes fun about the dolls not having genitals - as well as Midge's pregnancy being a running joke - so it fits with the meta themes of the movie.
Midge didn't get a lot to do in Barbie, but if she'd popped out a baby in the Barbie post-credit scene, there's a chance we could see more of her in a potential Barbie 2. Also, what would it have been like to have a baby doll in Barbieland, and would Allan (Michael Cera) really be the father? Come on, we all know he wants Ken.
Will there be a Barbie 2?
Click to enlargeBarbie ends with Margot Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie getting her wish to be a real person, giving us some serious Pinnochio vibes, and her stepping out into the real world. Going under the name of Barbara Handler (the real-life name of Barbie creator Ruth Handler's daughter), Barbie goes to a gynaecologist appointment.
While it's easy to imagine a second movie where Barbie continues adjusting to life in the real world, nothing is confirmed yet. There are plenty of reasons to go back to Barbieland, and what if some rival toy line tries to invade the space of the Barbies and Kens?
Mattel is already working on its own expanded universe, with a whopping 14 projects in the works to give us movies for everything from Barney the Dinosaur to Hot Wheels. Speaking to The New York Times about Barbie 2, Gerwig admitted, "At this moment, it's all I've got."
The director admits that she feels like this at the end of every movie, but saying she's currently at "zero" doesn't exactly instil hope in Barbie 2. Then again, Todd Phillips said that about Joker, and here we are, getting ready for a sequel with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. Hopefully, Gerwig can pull Barbie 2 out of the toy box.