An actual Barbenheimer film is in development to capitalise on the dual release phenomenon of Barbie and Oppenheimer.
The planned comedy is from B-movie mogul Charles Band, who has been making low-budget horror comedies since the 1970s.
In a mash-up of Barbie and Oppenheimer’s storylines, the film follows scientist doll Dr. Bambi J. Barbenheimer who lives in Dolltopia with her boyfriend Twink Dollman. When she ventures into the real world and sees the brutal treatment the dolls receive at the hands of human children, Barbenheimer decides to build a giant nuclear bomb to take it all out.
“It’s 100 per cent true,” Band told The Hollywood Reporter when asked if it’s a shameless cash-in. “But it’s also an opportunity to have fun with the bizarre coupling of these two movies and the combination of Barbie’s vibe and the darkness of Oppenheimer. You mix that together and you have such an opportunity for dark humour.”
He added: “It’s so silly. But it seems like every other feature is dark and depressing, and it’s like, God, we need a little humour going into 2024.”
A poster for the upcoming film features the tagline: “D-Cup, A-Bomb.”
Filming on the project is expected to begin next year, with the film’s rights on sale through the American Film Market.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is the highest-grossing movie of 2023, taking over $1.4billion at the worldwide box office. Oppenheimer, meanwhile, is behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie in third place, earning $947.4m globally.
In a four-star review of Barbie, NME described it as a “nuanced, rose-tinted comedy adventure set to a stonking pop soundtrack” that “somehow lives up to the immense hype”.
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