Is a Ken Movie in the Works?

This week, 60 Minutes featured a segment on director, actor, and screenwriter Greta Gerwig. Her latest film, “Barbie,” turned out to be the highest-grossing film of last year, raking in over a billion dollars globally.

When chosen to helm the “Barbie” project, Gerwig partnered with Noah Baumbach, her real-life and professional partner. Known for acclaimed independent dramas such as “The Squid and the Whale” and “Marriage Story,” Baumbach initially found the concept of a Barbie-centric film perplexing.

“I couldn’t even fathom it,” Baumbach remarked. “Then Greta wrote some pages, and I thought, ‘I can write this Barbie movie. I totally understand what this is.'”

In an interview with Sharyn Alfonsi from 60 Minutes, Gerwig and Baumbach discussed their collaboration on the “Barbie” script, their unique approach to screenwriting, and the reasons behind their successful partnership. Alfonsi also tried to gather information about a potential “Barbie” sequel.

According to Gerwig, the movie starts off “very mechanically…like a clock,” showcasing an idyllic day in Barbie Land. Everything changes when Barbie suddenly confronts an existential question: “Do you guys ever think about dying?”

This pivotal moment in the film emerged from an early scene Gerwig wrote, where Barbie meets an old woman in her backyard and grapples with the concept of mortality.

“Noah immediately understood what I was doing and found it exciting. He saw a movie in those pages,” Gerwig shared.

The couple also shed light on how their writing process translates to their directing style. Both Gerwig and Baumbach adhere strictly to their scripts, without allowing substitutions during filming.

Gerwig emphasized that in her films, such as “Lady Bird” and “Little Women,” every word was scripted meticulously. She argued that maintaining this precision was vital to preserving the dialogue’s rhythm, which had been refined through countless readings before shooting began.

“Once we have a script that feels solid, we read the whole thing out loud,” she explained. “This helps us identify repetitive jokes or any breaks in rhythm.”

When developing the “Barbie” script, the duo always envisioned Ryan Gosling as Ken. They even wrote his name next to Ken’s lines in the first draft.

While conceptualizing Ken’s character, Gerwig and Baumbach generated a plethora of ideas, many of which didn’t make it into the final movie. At one point, they explored the “Ken effect” in the real world and wrote a scene in which Gosling would play himself.

“We had way too much material for Ken. We kept writing and writing,” Gerwig admitted, only for Baumbach to quickly interject, advising her not to reveal too many details.

Alfonsi then posed the burning question, “Would there ever be a Ken Movie?” While Gerwig chuckled and refrained from confirming, she also didn’t entirely shut down the possibility.

“I mean, the truth is, you know — I guess we’ll see,” she said with a smile.