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Barbie Sequel Negotiations Stall as Studio Faces December Rights Deadline

Failing to secure deals by December would let Mattel regain the sequel rights, forcing Warner Bros. to start the franchise over.

Overview

  • Warner Bros. has been negotiating for months with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Greta Gerwig but talks are stalled over pay and profit participation.
  • Reports say Ryan Gosling has sought about $20 million and that proposed backend payouts tied to box office milestones are a core sticking point.
  • The studio says it has made multiple large offers and that talent representatives declined the most recent proposal in May without returning a counteroffer.
  • Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach reportedly have a sequel story ready but are withholding it and will not begin writing until contracts are finalized.
  • Even if deals are reached, casting, schedules and early development mean a sequel would likely take several years to reach theaters and a failure to close by December would let Mattel remake the franchise with new partners.