There’s a race to get Barbie 2 made, but a financial feud between Warner Bros. and the film’s creative team (including Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling) could kill the project.
According to a new report from Variety, Warner Bros. has until the end of the year to get a Barbie sequel into development; otherwise, it’ll lose the opportunity for good. The reason for this is that the rights for a film will revert back to Barbie owner Mattel if WB can’t get contracts signed for the team behind the project. However, there’s one big issue: They’re all struggling to agree on terms.
Warner Bros. didn’t option a sequel when developing the first film, partially because it didn’t expect the movie to end up grossing nearly $1.5 billion or score a bunch of nominations at the Oscars. As a result, the studio is paying for its lack of foresight. Since there was nothing agreed upon, director Greta Gerwig, writing partner Noah Baumbach, and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling have a lot of room to negotiate. Warner Bros. has reportedly made six offers for a sequel over the last three years, with the most recent reportedly being the highest in the studio’s history, though the team is holding its ground and asking for more.
Variety’s sources state that Gosling is asking for a whopping $20 million upfront to return as Ken, and the team is looking for generous deals on the backend, likely hoping for another big box office hit from which they can reap the rewards. Although Warner Bros. executives reportedly value this group, some are pointing the finger at CEO David Zaslav for the holdup. If Zaslav doesn’t budge, Barbie 2 will die.
For some, that might be a good thing. Not every movie needs a sequel, and the first film didn’t exactly set up a trilogy. Gerwig herself wasn’t too interested in a Barbie sequel at first, but has come around on it, and now reportedly has an idea, but isn’t spilling the beans on what that might look like until contracts are signed. In the meantime, the director is helming an adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia, which will release early next year.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
