The Barbie sequel has hit a roadblock on its way back to Barbieland.
Warner Bros. has until December to reach a deal with the stars of the 2023 film, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as well as director and co-writer Greta Gerwig, before the rights revert to Mattel, according to a report from the New York Times.
The studio has been negotiating with the principal talent for months, offering them a share of the profits if the film reaches certain box office milestones. The outlet also claims that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav declined to approve the proposed deal because he believed it was “too generous.”
The Times went on to report that a Warner Bros. spokesperson disputed that characterization, saying talent representatives declined an offer made in May and have not yet submitted a counteroffer.
“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,” studio co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far.”
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Warner Bros. for comment, and they had nothing further to add.
Gerwig and her Barbie co-writer Noah Baumbach have had an idea for Barbie 2 for a couple of years. THR first reported in 2024 that the couple was in the “early stages” of developing a story for the sequel.
Barbie was a massive hit with audiences and critics, grossing $1.5 billion worldwide and earning eight Oscar nominations, winning one for best original song (“What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell). Upon its release in July 2023, the film also became a cultural phenomenon thanks to its marketing campaign, signature pink aesthetic and simultaneous release with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, dubbing the name, “Barbenheimer.”
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