Barbenheimer Movie is Happening
Alex Gherzo | Nov 4, 2023 |
It was only a matter of time, I suppose. According to The Hollywood Reporter, B-movie filmmaker Charles Band will direct Barbenheimer. The film spoofs the cinema confluence that made tons of cash for Hollywood and movie theaters this summer, where both Barbie and Oppenheimer – two films that couldn’t be more different (presumably; I haven’t seen Barbie) – were huge worldwide successes. Charles Band is known for making junky direct-to-video horror movies; his two most famous directorial efforts appear to be Trancers and Puppet Master, to give you an idea. But he’s nothing if not prolific, with eight movies having come out in 2023 alone, so if the idea is to capitalize on the Barbenheimer craze while it’s still in the lexicon, I suppose he’s your man. For his part, Band is in on the joke and knows exactly what kind of movie he’s making. When asked if Barbenheimer was “a shameless attempt to cash in” on a cultural moment, he said:
“It’s 100 percent true… 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 humor.”
Go with God, man. I guess if you’re into this type of movie, Barbenheimer could be a lot of fun. (I imagine it’ll be featured on an episode of “Best of the Worst” with the Red Letter Media crew sooner rather than later.) And this somehow feels less shameless than a big-budget studio production released in theaters; that would be ridiculous and desperate. But this kind of thing was made for a concept like Barbenheimer; the only reason anyone’s talking about it is because the movies were so big, and the Barbenheimer sensation was inescapable. And with a budget of “just under $1 million,” it may even be profitable for whoever distributes it. It doesn’t stop at the movie, either; Band’s production company, Full Moon, has been developing a Barbenheimer toy line to go with the flick. Because where would a Barbie-adjacent film be without toys?
