Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling may not return to Barbie Land anytime soon. Warner Bros. wants to make a ‘Barbie‘ sequel, but talks with its leading stars have reportedly stalled over money.
The studio now faces an important deadline to complete the deals. If Warner Bros. cannot reach an agreement with Robbie, Gosling, and director Greta Gerwig, it could lose the rights to make the follow-up movie.
Salary Talks Put The ‘Barbie’ Sequel On Hold
Robbie was expected to return as Barbie, while Gosling would once again play Ken. However, the New York Times reported that Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav thought the proposed deals for the two stars were “too generous.”
Warner Bros. denied this claim. The studio said it offered the actors new deals in May, but they turned them down. Robbie and Gosling have also not made counteroffers yet. The report claimed that Gosling wants around $20 million to play Ken again.
Warner Bros. co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said, “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 film. Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far.”
Warner Bros. Must Finalize The Deals By December
According to the New York Times, Warner Bros. must reach a deal with Robbie, Gosling, and director and co-writer Greta Gerwig by December 2026. If it fails, the film rights will reportedly return to Mattel.
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The first Barbie movie became a huge success after its release in July 2023. It opened with $162 million and later earned $636.2 million at the domestic box office. Its worldwide total reached an impressive $1.4 billion.
A sequel seemed like an obvious next step, but Gerwig and her husband and co-writer, Noah Baumbach, were unsure about making another movie. At Time’s Women of the Year event in March 2024, Gerwig said, “My North Star is: What do I deeply love? What do I really care about? What’s the story underneath this story? If I find the undertow, then we get it. If I don’t find an undertow, there’s no more.”
In December 2024, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Gerwig and Baumbach had shared an idea for the sequel with Warner Bros. It also reported that the project had reached the “early stages” of deal talks.
Warner Bros. and representatives for Gerwig and Baumbach denied the report, saying, “There is no legitimacy to this reporting. THR’s reporting is inaccurate.”
Both stars have remained busy, but their possible return to Barbie Land now depends on whether Warner Bros. can reach a deal with them.
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