Oliver Stone Apologizes for ‘Ignorantly’ Judging ‘Barbie’ Before Seeing It, Says He ‘Appreciated the Film for Its Originality’

Oliver Stone has disavowed the criticism he expressed about “Barbie” early last summer, before the film came out, and in a statement released Monday night apologized for “speaking ignorantly” about the Greta Gerwig film.

In June, while speaking to City AM about his documentary “Nuclear Now,” Stone was asked somewhat jokingly if he’d be willing to direct “Barbie 2.”

Calling the idea “ridiculous,” Stone said that “Ryan Gosling is wasting his time if he’s doing that s— for money. He should be doing more serious films. He shouldn’t be a part of this infantilization of Hollywood. Now it’s all fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, including all the war pictures: fantasy, fantasy. Even the ‘Fast and Furious’ movies, which I used to enjoy, have become like Marvel movies. I mean, how many crashes can you see?”

These comments slipped under the radar when they were published on June 22, a full month before “Barbie” was released in theaters and “Barbenheimer” became a full blown pop culture phenomenon. They were resurfaced on Sunday by Deadline, sparking a social media uproar at Stone.

Noting he was “very disappointed” that Deadline published a “sensationalistic, out-of-context statement” he made “weeks before the film even came out,” Stone said “at the time I was busy promoting my nuclear documentary in Europe and little to no knowledge of the project beyond its title.”

“I was able to see Barbie in a theater back in July and appreciated the film for its originality and its themes. I found the filmmakers’ approach certainly different than what I expected. I apologize for speaking ignorantly,” Stone continued.

“Greta Gerwig’s 2017 film ‘Lady Bird’ was one of my favorites of that year. ‘Barbie’s’ box office greatly boosted the moral of our business, which was welcome. I wish Greta and the entire ‘Barbie’ team good fortune at the Oscars,'” the statement concluded.

Now that that’s settled, is Oliver Stone reconsidering his reaction to the idea of directing “Barbie 2”? Probably not, but perhaps in a couple of years we’ll enjoy a summer of “Barbiver Stone”?

The post Oliver Stone Apologizes for ‘Ignorantly’ Judging ‘Barbie’ Before Seeing It, Says He ‘Appreciated the Film for Its Originality’ appeared first on TheWrap.