Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy is more than open to fully embracing the delights of the phenomenon that is Barbenheimer and play a Ken in any potential Barbie sequel. Speaking recently with Cinéfilos, Murphy was asked whether he would like to join Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, and the rest of the Ken crew as another version of the doll, with the actor sounding pretty eager about the idea and thus completing the final phase of Barbenheimer.
“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.”
Of course, as Murphy points out, it all depends on the script, but Murphy certainly seems ready to feel the ‘Kenergy’ and join the Barbie World in a possible follow-up. And, thanks to the various photoshops and fan made posters out there, all of which have emerged amid Barbenheimer, it’s not difficult to imagine Murphy with the perfectly styled blonde hair and denim jacket of a Ken.
For now, Murphy is leading the second part of the Barbenheimer double-bill, starring as the physicist and the “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer in director Christopher Nolan’s biographical thriller, Oppenheimer. Chronicling the life of Oppenheimer and based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer finds Cillian Murphy in the lead as titular scientist.
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer has amassed an all-star cast alongside Murphy, including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh. Oppenheimer has been met with critical acclaim and has over-performed at the box office, with many predicting Oscar nominations for both Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan.
Will Barbie Lead to a Sequel?
The Barbie in Barbenheimer meanwhile follows Margot Robbie as one of the many Barbies living in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, after suffering an existential crisis, she gets the chance to go to the real world, and soon discovers the joys and perils of living among humans.
Directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and starring Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell alongside Robbie, Barbie has also been met with much acclaim and huge success at the box office. Grossing $356 million worldwide and setting a record for biggest taking for any movie that’s not a sequel, remake, or superhero outing, Barbenheimer has now achieved the fourth-biggest box office weekend in history.
Following such success, Barbie 2 is surely now a cinematic inevitability, with talks of a sequel and a possible Ken spinoff reportedly already happening. Meaning that it might not be long before we see Cillian Murphy strutting his stuff alongside Ryan Gosling as a fellow Ken.
Both Oppenheimer and Barbie are now out in theaters.
