Ben Affleck Was Originally Supposed to Be in Barbie

Barbie was the biggest box office success of 2023, and it's also a big contender this awards season. Greta Gerwig's film features a star-studded cast led by Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken), but the line-up of actors was almost a bit different. Since Barbie was released, it's been revealed that many famous faces almost made it into the film. Gerwig's frequent collaborators Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan were supposed to have cameos in Barbie, and Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy had to turn down playing one the film's Kens. Turns out, there's another big star was also originally supposed to be in the film: Ben Affleck.

Michael Cera, who plans Allan in Barbie, recently took part in a Q&A (via The A.V. Club), and shared some surprising information about the film. "I wasn't even supposed to fight in the movie," Cera revealed. "Am I allowed to say what it was supposed to be? It was supposed to be Ben Affleck. Right? Am I allowed to say that?"

"I think Ben wanted to do it, but he was directing his movie," Cera added. "They're like, 'Okay, Ben's out, something has to happen here. So you're gonna fight them.' So I had to jump in with the stunt team," he continued. "I had just gotten over COVID and they had me training, and I almost died. Just doing the warm up! I had to lay down in my trailer and they sent the nurse to see me, and I was sent home. So then we had a second rehearsal, and I learned it. That's the story basically."

While it's hard to imagine Affleck playing Allan, it is fun to think about the alternate reality where that casting could have taken place. 

Will Barbie Get a Sequel?

Considering Barbie's success, it's no surprise people are wondering if the film will be getting a sequel. Gerwig previously played coy when asked about a Ken-centric follow-up, and Gosling jokingly shared some ideas about what a Ken sequel could be about. During an interview with Variety, Robbie addressed the potential sequel or Ken spinoff.

"It's funny, that knee-jerk reaction in this day and age for everyone to immediately ask about a sequel. I don't think it was like that 20 years ago. This wasn't designed to be a trilogy," Robbie explained. 

"Everything went into Barbie – and that's how Greta works," she continued. "She finishes every movie on empty, feeling like she could never make another movie because she put everything she had into that one. So I don't know what it would take to fill that cup up again for her. Or for us. I think Warners would also agree. I don't know what more could even look like. We want to make more films that have the effect that Barbie has. I don't know if it has to be Barbie 2. Why can't it be another big, original, bold idea where we get an amazing filmmaker, a big budget to play with, and the trust of a huge conglomerate behind them to go and really play? I want to do that."

Can you picture Ben Affleck playing Allan? Tell us in the comments!