Barbie 2 Will Have to Start from Scratch if Warner Bros. Can't Make a Deal With Talent by December

Negotiations for Barbie 2 person travel to a halt, and if Warner Bros. can't marque a woody by December 2026, it volition suffer manager Greta Gerwig, writer Noah Baumbach, and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

A behind-the-scenes update connected the sequel to 2023's container bureau occurrence was shared successful a caller study from The New York Times. Three years removed from its theatrical premiere, 1 would expect advancement connected a sequel to beryllium further along, but it sounds similar Warner Bros. and the endowment down the archetypal movie are locked successful a monthslong standoff.

It's said that some parties person failed to hold to a woody to spot the formed and unit instrumentality for Barbie 2 aft the archetypal movie managed to bring successful a record-breaking $1.5 cardinal successful theaters (via Box Office Mojo). Warner Bros.'s offers to the returning endowment see a chopped of container bureau profits based connected its success, arsenic good arsenic raises, including paying Gosling his $20 cardinal asking price. The site's sources stated that existent Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav believes the offers connected the array are "too generous" and refused to springiness them the OK.

A Warner Bros. typical refuted that claim, saying alternatively that endowment representatives declined an connection made successful May and person yet to record a counteroffer. As Barbie 2 floats successful limbo, the study noted that clip is not connected anyone's side.

Should a woody neglect to beryllium reached by December, rights to the movie franchise volition revert backmost to Mattel. Although that could inactive yet spot a 2nd live-action Barbie movie materialize astatine different studio, it would bash truthful without Gerwig, Baumbach, Robbie, oregon Gosling. It would besides beryllium required to proceed without carrying implicit immoderate of the communicative elements established successful the 2023 project.

"We person a rights woody with Mattel successful spot and person made a bid of large offers to effort and finalize deals to marque the adjacent Barbie film," Warner Bros. co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said successful a associated statement. "Unfortunately, we person been incapable to scope an statement frankincense far."

It's hard to ideate what Barbie would person looked similar without the originative squad down it. The movie premiered not lone to occurrence astatine the container bureau but rave reviews praising it arsenic an imaginative instrumentality connected a decades-old IP.

Gerwig told Deadline successful March 2024 that she had travel astir connected the thought of a Barbie sequel, saying, "I privation to bash it." Even then, it was wide the hold for much would beryllium long, arsenic some Robbie and the originative squad had antecedently said their expectations to present a Barbie 2 were low.

Gerwig and Baumbach person reportedly expressed they already person a communicative for Barbie 2 successful caput and are acceptable to statesman the penning process. That, of course, won't hap until a woody is made. With advancement present astatine a standstill, it could inactive beryllium years earlier different movie is made, and that's if Warner Bros. and the endowment are adjacent capable to travel to an agreement.

For now, Barbie exists arsenic a standalone movie. IGN gave it a 9/10 review, calling it "a masterful exploration of femininity and the pressures of perfection."

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).