We haven’t even reached the end of 2022 yet, but moviegoers have already had their sights set on next year’s biggest box office head-to-head for months now. Indeed, with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie set to make its bow at the same time as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer biopic, we can expect a battle for the ages between the father of the atomic bomb and one of history’s most popular toy lines.
Like its opponent, Barbie comes packing an absolute wealth of talent, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling spearheading the film’s cast as Barbie and Ken. The remainder of the call sheet is shored up by the likes of Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, Ncuti Gatwa, and Michael Cera. Behind the scenes, the director’s chair boasts the aforementioned Gerwig, who co-wrote the film’s script with partner Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, White Noise).
Unlike Oppenheimer, however, Barbie is home to what can only be described as an obtusely loud color palette, perhaps best encapsulated by those outfits we all got a sneak peek of back in June.
Of course, it was never any question that a Barbie movie was going to be serving up some fashion statements to die for, and Gerwig has assured us that the ones we’ve seen thus far have done little more than scratch the surface of what we’re in for.
When asked about the response to Ryan Gosling’s form-fitting spandex that one could spot from the moon, Gerwig stated she was “thrilled” with the positive reception, and would go on to hint that it was just “one of many extraordinary looks” for the male lead, and that it’s “not even close” to the full Ken fashion spectrum that Gosling will be channeling for Barbie.
If the rest of his outfits even come close to matching the kaleidoscopic swagger of what we’ve already seen, we’ll be all here for it. Perhaps it may even pique the interest of those firmly on Team Oppenheimer.
Barbie releases to theaters on July 21, 2023.
