Credit: Warner Bros.The Barbie movie is doing huge numbers at the box office right now, which makes a sequel to the Margot Robbie film all but certain. However, a twist we did not see coming: Cillian Murphy being in Barbie 2.
In a recent interview with Cinéfilos, the Oppenheimer star revealed that he was up for appearing in a potential Barbie 2 as yet another variation of the iconic Ken doll, saying, “Sure, yeah! Let’s read the script, and let’s have a conversation. I can’t wait to see it. I think it’s great for cinema to get all these great movies happening this summer.”
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¿El meme se hace realidad? 👇🎬 pic.twitter.com/Haz3fiMmWX
— Cinéfilos (@cinefiloos) July 17, 2023
To be fair, Cillian Murphy is not exactly saying that he was deep in contract negotiations to play the resident himbo of Barbie Land, but it is extremely charming to see an actor known for his haunted, intense performances so enthusiastic about the notion of playing Ken.
Of course, Cillian Murphy was being asked about his prospective role in Barbie 2 because of the odd cultural zeitgeist that paired Oppenheimer, the somber World War II biographical film from director Christopher Nolan, with director Greta Gerwig’s all-pink, all-the-time collaboration with the Mattel corporation.
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The concept of “Barbenheimer,” in which cinemagoers would watch Barbie and Oppenheimer (which has proved significantly more controversial) as a double-bill, has helped both movies gross far more at the box office than initially estimated, so it is not exactly like Cillian Murphy should really have any beef with the other movie.
In the Greta Gerwig film, various incarnations of Ken are played by Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, John Cena, Rob Brydon, and Tom Stourton.
Similarly, while Margot Robbie plays the central Barbie character, multiple alternate versions are played by Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Nicola Coughlan, Mette Narrative, Marisa Abela, and Lucy Boynton.
With all those, why shouldn’t we be able to get tortured physicist Ken in Barbie 2?
Should Cillian Murphy cameo in a Barbie sequel, or would that be too on-the-nose? Let us know in the comments below!