A sequel to the 2023 box office hit Barbie is reportedly stalled as Independent struggles to reach salary agreements with the film’s principal talent. Negotiations involving stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as well as director Greta Gerwig, have reportedly been ongoing for months without success.
Barbie Sequel in Limbo Amid Salary Disputes
The studio is facing a critical deadline; according to reports from The New York Times, the rights to Barbie will revert to the toy manufacturer Mattel if Warner Bros. does not finalize a deal with the principal talent by December. If these rights revert, Mattel would be unable to use any original elements from the first film, necessitating a new concept, cast, and filmmaker.
Financial Deadlocks and Executive Disagreements
The dispute centers on the pay packages demanded by the lead actors following the first film’s massive success. The original production earned between $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion worldwide and received eight Oscar nominations. According to three Variety sources, Margot Robbie earned approximately $50 million from the first film through salary and box office bonuses.
For the sequel, reports indicate that Robbie and Gosling are seeking significant pay increases and a share of the film’s profits based on box office targets. Specifically, Ryan Gosling is reportedly seeking a $20 million upfront payday, a substantial increase from the $12.5 million he earned for the first film.
The New York Times reports that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav rejected these offers, with some claims suggesting he viewed the proposed terms as too generous
. However, a Warner Bros. spokesperson disputed the characterization that Zaslav balked
at the terms. The spokesperson stated that the studio has made a half dozen offers over three years, including one of the largest offers Warner Bros. has ever made for a film, but that representatives declined the most recent offer in May and have not submitted a counteroffer.
Creative Status and Studio Response
While the financial terms remain unresolved, director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach have reportedly had an idea for a sequel for a couple of years. However, reports suggest the pair will not share the plot concept with the studio until the contract deals are completed.
Warner Bros. co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca confirmed the ongoing negotiations in a statement, noting, 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 current impasse is partly due to the original contracts; Warner Bros. did not require Robbie or Gosling to commit to sequels when they signed on for the first movie, leaving them with one-movie deals. Robbie previously told Variety in 2024 that the project wasn’t designed to be a trilogy
and noted that Gerwig often finishes every movie on empty
.
Broader Studio Partnerships
Despite the Barbie stalemate, Warner Bros. maintains a consistent partnership with Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, founded in 2014 with Tom Ackerley. The studio’s upcoming slate with LuckyChap includes:
- Wuthering Heights: Scheduled for release in early 2025.
- Nasty: To be produced for the studio’s Clockwork label.
- Oceans: Currently in production and starring Robbie, set for release in June 2027.
Additionally, Warner Bros. continues to collaborate with Mattel on a separate Hot Wheels project currently in development.
