The live-action Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has been a surprise hit at the box office. With over $300 million in worldwide gross, the film has surpassed expectations with a sequel already in development. And adding more surprise to the next installment, in a recent interview, Gerwig expressed her love for Sylvester Stallone and hinted that he could be involved in Barbie 2.
Gerwig is a huge fan of Stallone’s Rocky movies. In fact, in the recently released Barbie, the filmmaker has made sure to include Sly references, making Stallone’s involvement in Barbie 2 a must.
Greta Gerwig cannot stop talking about Sylvester Stallone in Barbie 2
During her interview with Uproxx, Greta Gerwig could not help but talk about how she would love to have Sylvester Stallone in the upcoming Barbie installment. The filmmaker also incorporated her love for the Rocky actor in Barbie. In the film, Ken (Ryan Gosling) travels to the “real world” and sees multiple pictures of Stallone. This causes him to reevaluate his life and question what a “real man” really even is.
Explaining why exactly she decided to incorporate Rocky images in the movie, Gerwig said,
“I love all those Rocky movies. I love him a lot. So it was a really early thing, actually. When Ryan Gosling and I were texting a lot, we kind of both stumbled upon our mutual love of Sly Stallone. And then we were talking about his look in the ‘70s and how terrific it was. And he really adorned himself as a man. And we thought, ‘Well, that’s a good place to start.’ I mean, there are just sort of fabulous images of him, particularly in the Rockys.”
Gerwig went on to say that she would be honored if Stallone would appear or even be open to co-direct Barbie 2, either as a cameo or in a larger role. “It would be such an honor,” she said. “I mean, he’s welcome to it.”
Although Stallone has not yet commented on the possibility of appearing in Barbie 2, it’s no doubt his involvement would certainly be an interesting choice. The actor is known for his tough-guy roles, but he has also shown a comedic side in films like Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot and The Expendables.
Greta Gerwig’s response to ‘How did Mattel agree to do this?’
Barbie turned out to be a critically acclaimed box office hit. Being only the second woman to direct a movie that grossed over $100 million on the opening weekend, Gerwig is overwhelmed with the response received from fans and critics alike.
However, during her conversation with Uproxx, the interviewer asked Gerwig the question that many are wondering, ‘How did Mattel agree to do this?’ The movie, an intersectional and liberal feminist comedy reimagines the iconic doll. Hence, raising the question of how did the makers agree to go ahead with it. To this, Gerwig replied,
“Well, the truth is, I am not totally sure how this happened and how they let me do this. It was some amazing confluence of events and a ripple in the universe that allowed it to slip through.” Moreover, while talking about the support from Mattel, she added, “I do have to say the actual CEO at Mattel, Ynon (Kreiz), is incredibly brave, and he doesn’t lead with fear and he gave us creative freedom.”
Barbie is currently streaming in theatres and has registered a global collection of over $382 million within a week of its release.
Source: Uproxx, Box Office Mojo
