Warner Bros. could lose the right to develop a sequel to its 2023 hit “Barbie” unless it reaches new agreements with stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and director Greta Gerwig by December, when the studio’s rights are set to revert to Mattel.
The studio did not secure sequel commitments from the film’s principal cast and creative team before the first movie was released. Its commercial success has left Warner Bros. negotiating new contracts with the people most closely associated with the project.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said the studio has an agreement with Mattel covering the film rights but has not reached deals with the talent needed to move the sequel forward. The executives said the studio has made several substantial offers during the negotiations.
Mattel owns the Barbie brand and controls the intellectual property used in the films. Warner Bros.’ ability to produce a sequel comes from a contractual agreement granting the studio limited rights to develop a movie based on that property.
Licensing agreements commonly establish how long a studio may control a project and what conditions it must meet to retain those rights. A reversion provision returns the rights to the owner when the agreement expires, or its requirements are not satisfied. The December deadline means Warner Bros. could lose its authority to develop another “Barbie” film under the current agreement if it cannot complete the necessary deals.
At the center of the impasse is money. Gosling is reportedly seeking $20 million to reprise his role as Ken, while Robbie, who starred in and produced the first film, would also need a new agreement.
Gerwig and her husband and writing partner, Noah Baumbach, are said to have developed an idea for the sequel but have not shared the concept or begun writing while negotiations remain unresolved. Their decision leaves Warner Bros. without a script as the deadline under its agreement with Mattel approaches.
The negotiations have also exposed disagreement within Warner Bros. Discovery over how much the studio should offer. CEO David Zaslav reportedly considered the latest proposals too generous. A company spokeswoman disputed that account and said talent representatives had not submitted a counteroffer after rejecting a proposal made in May.
Mattel, for its part, has made clear that it wants to avoid this type of delay. CEO Ynon Kreiz has said the company expects projects based on its brands to remain in active development rather than be held without progress.
Warner Bros. has until December to complete the agreements needed to move the sequel forward. If it does not meet the deadline, the rights would return to Mattel.
