Production of a sequel to the movie "Barbie," which caused a global sensation, has hit a red light. Negotiations over the lead actors' huge pay have run into difficulties, putting the project itself at risk of stalling.
Local time on the 2nd, according to the Daily Mail, the production of the "Barbie" sequel that Warner Bros. is pursuing has been temporarily suspended due to disagreements over appearance fees.
This sequel was also expected to see Margot Robbie (36) and Ryan Gosling (45), the box office stars of the previous film, return as Barbie and Ken respectively, but negotiations have reached an impasse after talks with the studio over financial terms ended in failure.
Earlier, The New York Times reported that David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, internally put the brakes on the proposed contract terms for the lead actors as "excessively generous." In response, Warner Bros. co-chairmen Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said in a statement that "the rights agreement with Mattel is already complete, and we made a large offer to finish producing the sequel, but unfortunately we have not yet reached an agreement." Warner Bros. added that it delivered a final offer to the actors on the 5th but it was rejected, and that it has not yet received a counteroffer from the actors' side.
Foreign media notably reported that Ryan Gosling is demanding an eight-figure, ultra-high appearance fee of about $20 million (Hanwha about 28.9 billion won) to return as Ken.
If Warner Bros. does not finalize negotiations with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and director and co-writer Greta Gerwig by this December, the film rights will revert to the original rights holder Mattel.
When "Barbie" was released in 2023, it was a mega hit, grossing $636.2 million in North America alone and $1.4 billion worldwide (Hanwha about 1.9 trillion won). Following its tremendous success, a sequel seemed a natural next step, but director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach have taken a cautious approach from the early stages, saying there would be no sequel unless a sincere story emerges.
Hollywood is watching whether "Barbie 2," which had drawn expectations from fans worldwide, can overcome the "pay war" and return to the pink screen.
Meanwhile, after the huge success of "Barbie," Margot Robbie has continued active work with films such as A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and Wuthering Heights, and Ryan Gosling has solidified his position as a global top actor by appearing in Stuntman and Project Hail Mary.
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