Barbie was not just a $1.5B hit three years ago for Warner Bros., it was a cultural phenomenon that I don’t think the studio expected. As evidence, they hadn’t inked sequel deals with director Greta Gerwig or stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Now that oversight is coming back to haunt them, because the New York Times says “time is running out” on a deal to be struck before the rights revert to Mattel.
If Mattel gets its hands back on Barbie, which would happen this December, a reboot is likely to happen with new cast, director, etc.
The sticking point for WB is that CEO David Zaslav is balking at higher salaries and a percentage cut of profits for Robbie and Gosling. Gosling, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as Ken, is looking to score a $20M payday. Negotiations with Gosling and Gerwig have been happening for months, with no deal in place.
Development on Barbie 2 has been sporadic, as Gerwig and Robbie initially showed little excitement for it happening. They had no concepts for continuing the story back then. However, new reporting is that Gerwig and her partner/co-writer Noah Baumbach have cracked a sequel idea, but are refusing to share it until deals with WB are set.
At this point, even if they came to an agreement today, it would be years before we see Barbie on the big screen again. And by then, will it even matter?
