Negotiations between Warner Bros. Discovery and the principal creative team behind “Barbie” have stalled over compensation terms for a potential sequel to the commercially successful original film. According to reports, CEO David Zaslav has declined to approve profit participation deals requested by stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, with Gosling seeking a $20 million salary. A Warner Bros. spokesperson stated that no previously agreed-upon framework exists regarding these negotiations.
The studio faces a December deadline to finalize agreements before film rights revert to Mattel, the toy company that owns the intellectual property. If a deal cannot be reached by that date, Mattel would need to redevelop the project with new filmmaking talent, cast, and creative direction. Studio co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca confirmed ongoing talks, noting that Warner Bros. has made multiple substantial offers over several years without reaching an agreement. Director Greta Gerwig and her writing partner Noah Baumbach have declined to share their creative concept for the sequel until contractual matters are resolved.
The original “Barbie” film, released in July 2023, earned over $1.4 billion at the box office and received eight Academy Award nominations. Notably, the principal talent did not sign multi-picture deals but rather agreed to one-film contracts to secure Gerwig’s involvement as director. Industry observers note that renegotiating compensation when sequels were not part of original agreements represents standard practice in entertainment contracts.
Scheduling complications add additional complexity to the timeline. Robbie is currently in production on an “Ocean’s 11” prequel scheduled for release in June 2027, while Gosling has committed to Marvel’s “Ghost Rider” project dated for 2028 and promotional obligations for Disney’s “Star Wars: Starfighter.” Gerwig is also scheduled for a promotional tour early next year for her Netflix film “Narnia.” Despite the impasse on “Barbie,” LuckyChap Productions, Robbie’s company, maintains an active partnership with Warner Bros. across multiple projects.
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