Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Barbie 2 Faces Uncertainty as Huge Pay Demands Stall Sequel
The first Barbie movie came out in 2023 and made a lot of money, about $1.4 billion around the world.
Many people loved it, so a second movie seemed like a good idea.
But the people who made the first movie want more money to make a sequel.
The movie studio has offered them big pay deals more than six times over the last three years.
The studio says its latest offer was the biggest it has ever made, and some people called it 'life-changing money.'
Still, the creative team said no every time.
One of the actors, Ryan Gosling, reportedly wants $20 million just to play Ken again.
The studio now has only about four months to start making another Barbie movie.
If it does not, the company that owns Barbie, called Mattel, can take the doll back.
Because of all this, there might be no Barbie 2 at all.
Warner Bros. and the Barbie creative team are locked in stalled negotiations over compensation, putting the sequel at risk of being shelved.
The studio has made more than six offers over the past three years, including a latest offer made last spring described as 'life-changing money,' all of which were rejected.
The 2023 film, directed by Greta Gerwig, grossed $1.4 billion globally, making Gerwig the most successful woman director ever.
Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy have roughly four months to put another Barbie movie into production before rights revert to Mattel.
Ryan Gosling is reportedly seeking $20 million to reprise his Oscar-nominated role as Ken, with the team seeking higher upfront fees and increased back-end participation.
- Who
- Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Noah Baumbach, and Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.
- What
- A sequel to the 2023 blockbuster Barbie is at risk of being shelved after compensation negotiations stalled over the creative team's pay demands.
- When
- The original Barbie was released in 2023; negotiations have spanned roughly the past three years, with the latest offer made last spring and about four months left to begin production.
- Where
- Not explicitly stated in the articles.
- Why
- The creative team rejected multiple offers while seeking higher upfront fees and back-end participation, and if Warner Bros. cannot start production within four months, the doll rights will revert to Mattel.
Creative Team's Stance
Warner Bros.' Stance
Compensation
Creative Team's Stance
The team is seeking higher upfront fees and increased back-end participation, rejecting more than six offers over three years.
Warner Bros.' Stance
Compensation benchmark
Creative Team's Stance
A deal source disputes that individual compensation is historically large, saying the overall package may be historic but individual pay is not.
Warner Bros.' Stance
Sequel timeline
Creative Team's Stance
Gerwig and Baumbach have an idea for a sequel but will not reveal details until agreements are signed, and the team is not seeking first-dollar gross.
Warner Bros.' Stance
Sequel timeline
Creative Team's Stance
The team has not accepted any offer in roughly three years of negotiations and is unwilling to commit without satisfactory terms.
Warner Bros.' Stance
- Film
- Barbie (2023)
- Global box office
- $1.4 billion
- Director / co-writer
- Greta Gerwig
- Co-screenwriter
- Noah Baumbach
- Stars
- Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling
- Offers made and rejected
- More than six offers over three years
- Gosling's reported fee request
- $20 million
- Rights deadline
- About four months before rights revert to Mattel
