Following reports that Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film sequel had stalled due to failed negotiations surrounding the salaries of its lead stars, the follow-up’s future is now in further peril as the team continue to reject offers from Warner Bros, all as the deadline for the franchise’s rights looms.
As reported by Variety, Warner Bros has allegedly made over six offers in the past three years, all of which have been rejected by the Barbie creative team, the most recent of which was said by a studio source to be the highest it has ever offered for a filmmaking team and its stars.
These negotiations are even more crucial for Warner Bros thanks to a fast-approaching deadline, as the rights to Barbie will revert to Mattel if it does not make a deal with the principal talent for a sequel by December 2026. If the ongoing salary conflicts are not resolved by then, Mattel would have to redevelop the IP for a new movie, which means a complete change in concept, including finding a new filmmaker and cast.
Variety’s sources explained that the financial asks from Gerwig, co-writer Noah Baumbach, and lead actors Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were considerable, with Gosling reportedly asking US$20 million to reprise his role as Ken, and Robbie projected to make considerably more than what she did from the first movie, which was already an eye-watering amount at roughly US$50 million.
This follows Barbie’s massive success when it launched in 2023, grossing a staggering US$1.4 billion at the global box office and making it one of the highest-grossing films in Warner Bros history. With great success comes even greater expectations for a sequel, especially in terms of monetary payouts, leading to its current predicament, where the creative team is expecting more than what the studio is willing to offer.
For now, it seems the Barbie sequel might not happen after all, but even if the two sides can come up with an acceptable deal, it might still take a while before it can begin production, with its two leading stars hard at work on their upcoming projects – Robbie with her Ocean’s 11 prequel set for June 2027, and Gosling with Disney’s Star Wars: Starfighter, which launches on 28 May 2027, and Marvel’s Ghost Rider, due in 2028.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
