Like any movie with eyes on a huge haul at the box office and instant cult classic status, Barbie has been drowning in memes ever since the first set of character posters were released yesterday, before a brand new trailer arrived to send Christopher Nolan into a panic over having the temerity to pit Oppenheimer head-to-head with the hotly-anticipated comedy.
Internet buzz isn’t always a guarantee of commercial success as Morbius discovered to its detriment twice over after going viral for all the wrong reasons and making Sony look like idiots in the process, but you know the Barbie fandom has captured the imagination when the co-CEO of DC Studios reacts to become one of the burgeoning movement’s latest subjects.
The current craze for Barbie is to see any celebrity or high-profile public figure of the creator’s choosing being refitted as a character within the candy-colored blockbuster, and James Gunn was thrilled to discover that he’d been selected.
It’s a good look for the Guardians of the Galaxy director, and it comes at just the right time, too. Not only is Vol. 3 mere weeks away from coming to theaters and drawing a line under his association with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Margot Robbie plays the title role, with Gunn making it clear on more than one occasion that he’s hoping to reunite with The Suicide Squad star in the new and hopefully improved DCU.
Until that day comes, we’ll just have to make do with the filmmaker embracing his newfound status of being both plastic and fantastic.