• "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig said she was at "totally zero" regarding ideas for a sequel.
• THR reported in December 2024 that "Barbie 2" is in "early stages" based on a concept from Gerwig and Noah Baumbach.
• However, reps for Gerwig, Baumbach, and Warner Bros. denied THR's report, calling it inaccurate.

It looks like everyone is living in a "Barbie" world, and the party might not be over yet.

The 2023 Greta Gerwig-directed movie starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken raked in $1.4 billion globally, winning the box office battle against Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer." 

"Barbie" wasn't just a box office sensation. The movie earned an 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, landed eight Oscar nominations, and became a pop culture phenomenon. 

Given its critical and commercial success, it's only natural to wonder whether the studio is planning "Barbie 2" with Mattel, the toy company behind Barbie.

Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz previously told Time magazine that the company is keen to make "more 'Barbie' movies."

"We're looking to create movies that become cultural events. If you can excite filmmakers like Greta and Noah to embrace the opportunity and have creative freedom, you can have a real impact," he said.

At the time, Gerwig said she was unsure about taking on a sequel, but a new report suggests that she might be back for more. 

Greta Gerwig addressed 'Barbie 2' in a 2023 interview with The New York Times

In an interview published in July 2023, the director told The New York Times that she exhausted all her ideas for "Barbie."

"I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I'll never have another idea, and everything I've ever wanted to do, I did," Gerwig said.

She added, "I wouldn't want to squash anybody else's dream but for me, at this moment, I'm at totally zero."

However, speaking to Uproxx about Ken's obsession with Sylvester Stallone in the movie, Gerwig joked that the "Rocky" star could show up in "Barbie 2," or even direct it himself.

"You never know!" she said. "Or that he's going to direct it. I mean, he's welcome to it. It would be an honor. It would be such an honor."

While Gerwig wasn't sold on the idea of returning, star and producer Robbie told Time in June 2023 that conversations about a sequel had yet to happen.

"It could go a million different directions from this point," she said. 

But Robbie also said that "you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels." 

Mattel is also looking to make movies based on its other properties, like a Hot Wheels movie being developed by J.J. Abrams. 

A new report suggested a 'Barbie' sequel could be in the works, but it's unclear

On December 13, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter published a story reporting that Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who cowrote the "Barbie" screenplay, presented Warner Bros. with an idea for a sequel that was in the "early stages." The publication also said that talks about a deal were in similarly early stages.

Don't get excited yet, though: Gerwig and Baumbach's rep denied THR's report, telling the publication, "There is no legitimacy to this reporting."

And a rep for Warner Bros. said, "THR's reporting is inaccurate."

• Margot Robbie described slapping Leonardo DiCaprio in her audition for "The Wolf of Wall Street."
• Robbie said she thought she'd gone too far, and worried someone would call the police.
• She said: "I was thinking, 'I'm going to get arrested, I'm pretty sure that's assault or battery.'"

Margot Robbie said she slapped Leonardo DiCaprio in her audition for "The Wolf of Wall Street," and worried she'd be arrested.

Robbie played Naomi Lapaglia, the fictionalized wife of Jordan Belfort, the financial criminal portrayed by DiCaprio.

But she took a risk in her audition, which left an impression on her costar and director Martin Scorsese, she recalled when appearing on the November 26 episode of the "Talking Pictures" podcast.

She said she was contemplating whether to kiss DiCaprio or slap him — and chose the slap.

She said: "I thought, 'I could kiss Leonardo DiCaprio right now, and that would be awesome. I can't wait to tell all of my friends this.' And then I thought nah. And just walloped him in the face. It was dead silent for what felt like an eternity but was probably three seconds."

"They just burst out laughing. Leo and Marty were laughing so hard. They said, 'That was great," she said.

"I was thinking, 'I'm going to get arrested, I'm pretty sure that's assault or battery. Not only will you never work again, actually you will go to jail for this, you idiot.' And also why did you have to hit him so hard? You should have done it lighter.'"

The actor's move paid off because not only did it win her the role, but it drove her career forward and pushed her into the spotlight.

She later landed roles in other blockbusters like "The Suicide Squad," "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and "Barbie."

During the podcast, Robbie also touched on her decision to go nude for a scene with DiCaprio, which also got the audience's attention at the time. She said that Scorsese offered to make her more comfortable by having her in a robe instead, but she decided against it.

She said of her character: "That's not what she would do in that scene. The whole point is that she's going to come out completely naked—that's the card she's playing right now."