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Warner Bros. is facing a December deadline to finalize deals for the Barbie sequel, but salary disputes between the studio and its leading stars are threatening to derail the project. The studio has made half a dozen offers to the creative team over three years, but negotiations have stalled. Ryan Gosling seeks to raise his pay to $20 million for reprising the role of Ken, while Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has deemed the proposed profit participation terms too generous.
might never happen, and it all comes down to money. Salary disputes between the studio and its leading stars are threatening to derail the project entirely.
, the duo has an idea for the film but won’t share it until deals close. Warner Bros. faces a December deadline before the sequel rights revert to Mattel for full redevelopment. The studio has made half a dozen offers to the creative team over three years. Ryan Gosling seeks to raise his pay to $20 million for reprising the role of Ken.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav deemed the proposed profit participation terms too generous and refused to sign off. Studio co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca confirmed the ongoing negotiations in a joint statement.
“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. Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far,” they said. A Warner Bros. spokeswoman added that the talent’s reps declined the latest offer in May. CAA represents Gerwig, Baumbach, Robbie, and Gosling in these ongoing negotiations.
Renegotiating contracts is standard practice when sequel options weren’t part of original agreements. Warner Bros. only signed one-movie deals with the Barbie talent to secure Gerwig as director initially. If the studio fails to finalize agreements by December, Mattel would redevelop the IP from scratch. That means hiring a new filmmaker, assembling a new cast, and developing an entirely fresh concept.
Robbie previously addressed sequel expectations in a 2024cover story about her production company LuckyChap.
“This wasn’t designed to be a trilogy,” she said at the time. Robbie is currently filming an Ocean’s 11 prequel for Warner Bros. targeting a June 2027 release. Gosling recently joined Marvel’s Ghost Rider and will also promote Star Wars: Starfighter next year. Anubhav Chaudhry is a Pop Culture and Entertainment writer at Evolve Media, where he transforms his passion for movies, music, superheroes, and sports into compelling content that keeps readers engaged.
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Warner Bros. Barbie Sequel Salary Disputes Ryan Gosling Mattel
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