Warner Bros. Discovery has roughly four months to get a Barbie sequel moving, but after more than six unsuccessful attempts to secure the key creative team, the project’s future appears increasingly uncertain.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. has made more than half a dozen offers to the Barbie team over the past three years, but each proposal has been rejected. The biggest hurdle is the looming December deadline. If the studio fails to finalize agreements with director Greta Gerwig, co-writer Noah Baumbach, and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling by then, the sequel rights will revert to Mattel, forcing the franchise back to square one.
Warner Bros. film co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy acknowledged the stalemate in a joint statement.
“We have a rights deal with Mattel in place and have made a series of big offers to try and finalize deals to make the next Barbie film. Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far,” the statement reads.
At the heart of the dispute is WBD CEO David Zaslav, who reportedly refused to approve a proposed agreement because he believed the terms were too favorable. However, a Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson challenged that version of events, saying the talent representatives rejected an offer made in May and have not presented a counteroffer since.
There is a substantial amount of money at stake for everyone involved, particularly when it comes to backend earnings. Margot Robbie, who is reportedly on track to have earned around $50 million from the original film through salary and profit participation, is seeking higher upfront pay along with a larger share of the sequel’s profits. Greta Gerwig, who also earned tens of millions from the first movie, is reportedly pushing for an improved deal, while Ryan Gosling is said to be asking for $20 million to reprise his role as Ken.
Warner Bros. proposed a profit-sharing arrangement tied to specific box office milestones, but the offer has yet to receive a response. CAA, the agency representing Gerwig, Baumbach, Robbie, and Gosling under chairman Bryan Lourd, has also not submitted a counteroffer to the studio’s latest proposal.
One of Warner Bros.’ biggest challenges stems from the original agreement. When the studio first brought Gerwig on board, her contract did not require her to return for a sequel. Now, after Barbie generated an estimated $1.5 billion worldwide, received eight Academy Award nominations, and won the Oscar for Best Original Song, the creative team holds significantly more negotiating power.
Although Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have revealed that they already have an idea for a sequel, they have declined to share any details until new contracts are finalized.
If the sequel rights return to Mattel at the end of the year, the company would be unable to use any storylines or creative elements from Gerwig’s Barbie. Instead, it would have to start over with a complete reboot, likely without Gerwig, Robbie, or Gosling involved.
