In addition to being just a great filmmaker, Jane Campion is a trailblazer. People may have forgotten that she is the first woman to win the top prize at Cannes, the Palme d’Or. So, she knows a bit about how women are treated in this business. When she says it’s an “exciting” time to be a female filmmaker, we should listen. 

Speaking at the Locarno Film Festival (via Deadline), Jane Campion talked about the current state of filmmaking as it relates to being a female filmmaker.

Continue reading Jane Campion Says ‘Barbie’ Success Means “Women Can Be Trusted With Money, Finally” at The Playlist.

Well, as we said yesterday, a sequel to the billion-dollar grossing “Barbie” isn’t coming any time soon. No, not because writer/director Greta Gerwig said, why does it need to be that and why can’t it be an original project [paraphrasing], but because the filmmaker has two “Narnia” movies to make at Netflix first, so even if she was dying to make a sequel herself, it would be likely five years away at least, if Gerwig herself was directing.

Continue reading Mattel & Illumination Are Discussing A ‘Barbie’ Animated Film & Greta Gerwig & Margot Robbie Aren’t Thrilled About It [Report] at The Playlist.

Is filmmaker Greta Gerwig getting sick of being asked about a “Barbie 2? Sequel? Well, the answer could be maybe. The actress, writer, and director was recently on 60 Minutes, and when asked about a sequel, she seemed mildly annoyed about cranking out a sequel and seemed to suggest original filmmaking is still where it’s at for her.

“I don’t know what more could even look like,” Gerwig confessed that she didn’t even know what a ‘Barbie’ sequel would be narratively.

Continue reading Greta Gerwig Asks Why There Needs To Be A ‘Barbie 2,’ Why Can’t It Be A “Big Bold Original Idea”? & About A Ken Movie, “We’ll See” at The Playlist.

When you’re the CEO of Netflix, obviously you’re going to be pro-streaming. You might even say things that most people would shake their heads at, but you believe. Because you’re the best evangelist for your company. All that to say, it’s no surprise Ted Sarandos said some wild stuff about Netflix and streaming films on a phone.

Speaking as part of a New York Times interview, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos once again talked about how you can equate box office wins with streaming success and even used two massive 2023 films to prove his point.

Continue reading Netflix CEO Says ‘Barbie’ & ‘Oppenheimer’ Would Have Been Just As Successful On Streaming at The Playlist.

While Greta Gerwig’s Academy Award-nominated “Barbie” was the highest-grossing film of 2023, as we’ve seen over the course of the last year, it angered and irritated many. From Oliver Stone to Kelly Reichardt to Ruben Östlund, seemingly everyone had a take on “Barbie” they were willing to share. The latest person to weigh in on the film, or at least give their candid thoughts, was TV super producer/writer Shonda Rhimes, known for “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “Bridgerton,” and her Shondaland TV producing empire.

Continue reading Shonda Rhimes Says The ‘Barbie’ Movie Didn’t Need To Be A “Feminist Manifesto” at The Playlist.

To quote Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Infinity War,’ “Your math is blowing my mind.” Last month, director Zack Snyder appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience (you can watch/listen below) to promote his latest film, “Rebel Moon: Part Two” (read our review). Among many of the comments made and stories told, Snyder suggested that more people saw his movie on Netflix than “Barbie” in theaters, a hot take the director used to defend using “Netflix math.”  

Pulling 160 million viewers seemingly out of the air, Snyder tried to make a 1:1 comparison between theater tickets sold and the number of people streaming, which is tricky and dubious given dozens of reasons (streamers generally count one view as long as they have watched 20 minutes of the product, for example).

Continue reading Zack Snyder Clarifies ‘Barbie’ Box Office Comments, Stating “Cultural Significance” Is Still Dictated By Theaters at The Playlist.

Rawandan-British actor Ncuti Gatwa is on the rise with roles in “Sex Education,” “Barbie,” and currently, as the lead of “Doctor Who,” the wildly popular BBC sci-fi comedy series that first aired in 1963.

Gatwa’s casting in “Doctor Who” saw the actor face an extreme level of racist backlash, reminding us all over again of the sexism that fellow “Doctor Who” alumni Jodie Whittaker experienced when she was hired to play the Doctor in 2017 (the role has mostly been portrayed by white men so far).

Continue reading ‘Doctor Who’ Star Ncuti Gatwa Says Black Actors Face “Excellence” Pressure Amid Much “White Mediocrity” at The Playlist.

Becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 and crossing the $1 billion mark, it’s hard to argue that “Barbie” wasn’t one of last year’s most significant cultural cinematic landmarks, even if it missed out at the most recent Oscars. Many actors have revealed they were part of the film, only to be cut, Olivia Colman, Saoirse Ronan, and possibly more, but there was another actually in the movie who didn’t really receive her moment.

Continue reading ‘Barbie’: Lucy Boynton Calls Her Cut Proust Barbie Scenes A “Heartbreaker” at The Playlist.

While largely overlooked at the Oscars, “Barbie” was still the highest-grossing film of 2023 and credited for getting a horde of moviegoers back into theaters, leading to the phenomenon of #Barbenheimer. This obviously also helped to amplify the Christopher Nolan atomic bomb biopic “Oppenheimer” and make it a huge box office hit in its own right. Audiences have long assumed a sequel was in the works, but director/co-writer Greta Gerwig (and star Margot Robbie) had previously downplayed the desire or need to revisit Barbieland.

Continue reading Greta Gerwig Open To ‘Barbie’ Sequel If Something Clicks: “I’m Not Dismissing It, I Want To Do It” at The Playlist.

It wasn’t just awards being handed out last night at the 96th Academy Awards. As is customary, for the Oscar ceremony, all of the Best Original Song contenders were able to perform their nominated tunes live on stage. While all were engaging, clearly Ryan Gosling blew the doors off the entire ceremony with his rendition of “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie,” which had the entire Oscar crowd on its feet and wowing.

Continue reading Oscars 2024: Watch All The Best Song Performances From The Ceremony at The Playlist.

Imagine being just 22 years old and having two Academy Awards trophies somewhere in your apartment (or mansion). Welcome to Billie Eilish‘s life. The acclaimed music superstar won her second Original Song Oscar, alongside her musical partner and brother Finneas, for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie” at the 96th Academy Awards. Eilish and Finneas won their first Oscar for the title track from “No Time To Die” just two years ago.

Continue reading Billie Eilish & Finneas Take Second Original Song Oscar For ‘What Was I Made For?’ at The Playlist.

It looks like Ryan Gosling is going to be warming up his vocal chords over the next few weeks. The “La La Land” star has reportedly agreed to belt out the Best Original Song nominee “I’m Just Ken” during the 2024 Academy Awards telecast. This would be a nice coup for the Oscars hoping to infuse the ceremony with as much “Barbie” magic as it can after the social media outcry following snubs of director Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie in the Best Actress category.

Continue reading Report: Ryan Gosling to Perform ‘I’m Just Ken’ At The 2024 Oscars at The Playlist.

Even months after the fact, these days, the standard question every filmmaker seems to get is something about “Barbie” or #Barbieheimer, or maybe it’s just Piers Morgan. Filmmaker Werner Herzog was on Piers Morgan Uncensored recently, for some reason, to discuss his life and career, but also because it’s Morgan, “woke culture” in Hollywood, Putin, Israel, Hamas, and because it’s hard-hitting journalism, hypnotizing chickens.

Continue reading Werner Herzog Calls ‘Barbie’ As Close As It Gets To “Sheer Hell” at The Playlist.

“Barbie” fans already know the story: John Cena bumped into Margot Robbie while out to dinner in London while she was shooting Greta Gerwig‘s film, and she offered him a role in the movie. And Cena agreed, leading to the creation of the one and only Kenmaid. But THR reports that Kenmaid almost didn’t happen because Cena’s manager didn’t want him to do the cameo.

Continue reading ‘Barbie’: John Cena’s Manager Didn’t Want Him To Take Kenmaid Role, But Actor Insisted: “Every Opportunity Is An Opportunity” at The Playlist.

The race for the Costume Design Academy Award is still up in the air, but no matter what happens, Holly Waddington and Jacqueline Duran will always have their 2024 Costume Designer Awards wins. The pair took Excellence in Period Film for “Poor Things” and Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film for “Barbie,” respectively. The third movie honor, Excellence in Contemporary Film went to Sophie Canale for “Saltburn.”

READ MORE: “Barbie,” “American Fiction” and “Star Trek: Picard” earn 2024 WGA Awards nominations

On the television side, Helen Huang gave “Beef” another guild honor in the Contemporary Television field while Sharon Long won Period Television for the now canceled, but not forgotten, “The Great.” In a super competitive category, Shawna Trpcic son Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television for “Ahsoka.” In a wonderful surprise, Michelle Page Collins landed another canceled series (at least unofficially), “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” a win in the Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television field.

Continue reading ‘Poor Things,’ ‘Barbie’ & ‘Ahsoka’ Top 2024 Costume Designer Guild Awards at The Playlist.

Can you even hear a guild awards ceremony if it occurs after the Academy Awards? Thanks to the WGA strike, we’re about to find out. The nominees were announced this morning for the 2024 WGA Awards which will take place on April 14. On the film side, likely Oscar winner “American Fiction” led an Adapted Category including “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer” and, um, “Nyad.” The Original Screenplay category features “Barbie” (in its correct category), “The Holdovers,” “Air,” “May December,” and “Past Lives.”

READ MORE: “Oppenheimer” wins Best Picture and Best Actor and dominates the 2024 BAFTA Awards [Full List]

As always, only WGA writers qualify for the guild awards which means a slew of potential nominees including likely Oscar Original Screenplay winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Poor Things,” “All of Us Strangers,” and “The Zone of Interest,” among others, did not qualify.

Continue reading ‘Barbie,’ ‘American Fiction’ & ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Earn 2024 WGA Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

The list of actors who almost appeared in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is becoming almost as long as the star-studded cast of the Best Picture nominated film. So far, we know actors like Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet were either cut from the film or weren’t able to shoot their scenes, Ben Affleck was recently touted for an action scene that never happened. Additionally, Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, Ben Platt, and Jonathan Groff were among desired actors who couldn’t make the production due to COVID.

Continue reading Helen Mirren Says Olivia Colman Almost Appeared In ‘Barbie’ In A Clashing Of British Dames Appearance at The Playlist.

With the Oscars fast approaching, the cast of “Barbie” is on one final press tour to drum up hype for its eight nominations. And oh boy, the secrets that have tumbled out of their mouths on this latest go-around. The best new story? At a live Q&A for an episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Michael Cera revealed that Allan’s fight scene as he tries to skip Kenland shortly before the film’s third act wasn’t even supposed to happen.

Continue reading ‘Barbie’: Michael Cera Reveals Ben Affleck Was Supposed To Be In The Movie In A Fight Cameo at The Playlist.

As we approach the Oscars, we can finally shut the book on 2023 films, including the massive cultural moment that was the “Barbie” release. But that doesn’t mean “Barbie” will be gone forever. You have to assume Mattel is itching to get a sequel or spinoffs going. And if they call Michael Cera, he’ll gladly rejoin the franchise.

READ MORE: ‘Barbie’: Ryan Gosling Initially Turned Down Ken Role Due To Scheduling Conflicts, But Greta Gerwig & Margot Wouldn’t Let Him Say No

Speaking on “The Tonight Show,” Michael Cera talked about the surprising success of “Barbie” and how it has been nominated for so many Oscars.

Continue reading Michael Cera Is Ready For His Own ‘Barbie’ Spinoff: “It Would Be Kind Of A Weird Movie” at The Playlist.

The Oscars remain about a month away, but all eyes are on the final showdown between “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Which movie of the “Barbenheimer” crazy will win the most awards at the ceremony?  Christopher Nolan‘s film leads Greta Gerwig‘s with 13 nominations against 8, but more crucial questions prevail: like, will Ryan Gosling perform “I’m Just Ken” live on the telecast?

Continue reading ‘Barbie’: Ryan Gosling Initially Turned Down Ken Role Due To Scheduling Conflicts, But Greta Gerwig & Margot Wouldn’t Let Him Say No at The Playlist.

Margot Robbie may have been snubbed for an Oscar nomination for “Barbie,” but don’t expect the actress to vie for sympathy. Deadline reports that Robbie isn’t fazed by her and director Greta Gerwig not getting nods for their 2023 juggernaut film. In her words, “There’s no way to feel sad when you know you’re this blessed.” Fair enough.

READ MORE: Oscars Deliver Diverse Noms As ‘Barbie’ Snubs Set Social Media On Fire

Robbie’s comments came during a panel for a special SAG screening of “Barbie” on Tuesday night, promoting the film’s eight Academy Award nominations.

Continue reading Margot Robbie On ‘Barbie’ Oscar Snubs: “No Way To Be Sad When You Know You’re This Blessed” at The Playlist.

This should be a very good day for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. There is a diverse set of acting nominees with 7 of the 20 recepients being people of color. Three of the acting nominees publicly identify as LGBTQ+. There are two Latiné nominees. Lily Gladstone is the first indigenous actor to earn a Best Actress nomination in Oscar history. The Best Picture field features two non-English language films in “The Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall” as well as two of the biggest global hits of 2023, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.” But when you hand out awards you can’t please everyone and sometimes those snubs hit very deep.

Continue reading Oscar Delivers Diverse Noms As ‘Barbie’ Snubs Sets Social Media On Fire at The Playlist.

There are a million sayings that go something like this—don’t talk about shit that you know nothing about. The same can be said in terms of film critique. Don’t speak ill of a movie, or presume you know something about a film, before you spend the time to watch it. This is something Oliver Stone is learning right now, as he is forced to speak up about comments he made about “Barbie” and Ryan Gosling.

Continue reading ‘Barbie’: Oliver Stone Apologizes For Saying Ryan Gosling Did “That Sh*t For Money” & Admits To “Speaking Ignorantly” at The Playlist.

The 2024 Oscars season has taken a final turn around the awards season race track. This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced the nominees for the 76th Academy Awards, and, as expected, Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” led all films with 13 nominations, including a coveted Best Picture nom. “Poor Things” earned 11 noms, while “Killers of the Flower Moon” took 10 nods, and “Barbie” landed eight.

Continue reading Oppenheimer Dominates The 2024 Oscars Nominations With 13 Nods [Full List] at The Playlist.

When the cast list was announced for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” one name was left out that seemed to shock people—Saoirse Ronan. No, not because Ronan’s career made her an obvious choice to star in the film. Instead, people were surprised because the actress had previously starred in both of Gerwig’s earlier films, “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.” But she didn’t have a role, at all, in “Barbie.”

Well, back in July, it was revealed the original plan was to have Ronan in the film, alongside her “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” co-star Timothée Chalamet.

Continue reading Saoirse Ronan Says Her Barbie Cameo Would Have Been A Weird Barbie With Kate McKinnon at The Playlist.