Warner Bros. faces December deadline to lock Barbie sequel deal
Warner Bros. Pictures is negotiating a sequel to the 2023 Barbie film with director Greta Gerwig, star Margot Robbie and actor Ryan Gosling. The studio has offered profit‑sharing arrangements and a $20 million salary request for Gosling, but Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has said the terms are too generous and has not approved them. Co‑chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca confirmed a rights agreement with Mattel and said the studio has made multiple large offers, yet talent representatives declined a May offer and have not submitted a counter‑offer. The studio must reach a final agreement by December 2026 or the rights will revert to Mattel, forcing the sequel to be abandoned or restarted with a new creative team. The original Barbie movie earned about $1.5 billion worldwide and received eight Oscar nominations, underscoring the high stakes of the stalled negotiations.
Entities: Greta Gerwig · Margot Robbie · Mattel · Ryan Gosling · Warner Bros. Discovery
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Warner Bros. co‑chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said they have a rights deal with Mattel and have made large offers but have not reached an agreement. (Existing)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The 2023 Barbie film earned about $1.5 billion worldwide and won an Oscar for Best Original Song. (Existing)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Warner Bros. has until December to reach a deal with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Greta Gerwig, or the rights will revert to Mattel. (New York Times report)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Warner Bros. spokesperson said the talent representatives declined an offer made in May and have not yet submitted a counter‑offer. (Existing)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Warner Bros. offered the talent a share of profits if the sequel reaches certain box‑office milestones. (Multiple reports)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav declined to approve the proposed deal, calling it too generous. (Existing)
- [DISPUTED] Warner Bros. has until December 2026 to reach a deal with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Greta Gerwig for a Barbie sequel or the rights will revert to Mattel. (New)
- [● 3 SOURCES] If no agreement is reached by December, Mattel will regain full rights to the Barbie franchise. (New)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Warner Bros. offered profit‑sharing and a $20 million salary to Ryan Gosling for the sequel. (New)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Warner Bros. has made about half a dozen offers over the past three years to secure the Barbie sequel. (New)