Warner Bros. faces impasse over Barbie sequel negotiations

Negotiations for a sequel to the blockbuster film ‘Barbie’ have reached an impasse between Warner Bros. Discovery and the film’s core creative team. Despite making more than six offers over the last three years, the studio has failed to secure agreements with director Greta Gerwig, co-writer Noah Baumbach, and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

Warner Bros. film co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy confirmed the standoff, stating that while they have a rights deal with Mattel, they have been unable to finalize deals with the talent. A critical deadline looms in December; if agreements are not reached by then, the sequel rights will revert to Mattel, potentially forcing a costly franchise reset.

The dispute centers on financial terms, specifically increased upfront fees and back-end profit participation. Reports indicate Ryan Gosling is seeking $20 million to return as Ken, while Margot Robbie is looking for increases in both salary and profit sharing following her estimated $50 million earnings from the first film. While some sources describe the studio's proposals as historic in scale, others note that the talent's representatives have not submitted a counteroffer to the most recent proposal.