The Barbie Sequel Is A Mess & No One Has Written A Word Of The Script
· BCPosted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: barbie
The Barbie Sequel Is A Mess & No One Has Written A Word Of The Script
Warner Bros. has until the end of the year to lock down contracts for the Barbie sequel, or the rights will revert to Mattel.
Published Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:49:09 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary
- Warner Bros. has until the end of 2026 to secure Barbie sequel deals, or the Barbie film rights revert to Mattel.
- The New York Times reports Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling never signed sequel clauses for Barbie.
- Negotiations for the Barbie sequel have grown tense, with a reported May offer including raises and $20 million for Gosling.
- Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach reportedly have a Barbie sequel story idea but will not write the script until a deal is done.
Barbie was one of those movies that not only never should have worked, but it never should have worked as well as it did. It was a miracle that it was as good as it was, and the fact that it also managed to connect with audiences so profoundly is the kind of thing that movie studios dream of. Warner Bros. must have known they had something special, which is why they made the decisions they did, even if things are a bit chaotic now. It's been three years since the summer of Barbenheimer and Warner Bros., according to a new article from The New York Times, has a new deadline; if they don't figure out a contract for a Barbie sequel with director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling by the end of the year, they are going to lose the rights to Barbie and they will revert to Mattel.
The whole thing is a mess of studio politics and people saying that one person or another is not coming to the table in good faith. Usually, deals like this for sequels are unheard of because studios have talent sign contracts for trilogies right out of the gate. This entire situation is happening right now because "Ms. Gerwig and her lead actors did not want language in their contracts about a sequel when they signed on to make the first Barbie," and "the studio wanted Ms. Gerwig to write and direct the movie, so Warner Bros. made a calculated risk and proceeded without a promised sequel." Likely, everyone thought that deals would be easy to make once the film was out of the gate and a success, but that isn't the case.
For a little while, it sounded like no one was particularly interested in a Barbie sequel, but over time, the conversation surrounding one did change. Reportedly, the last deal was turned down in May, and they specifically cited offers that "have included a cut of profit for the principal talent if the film reaches a certain level of box office success, and at least some upfront raises, including paying Mr. Gosling $20 million."
It's not like the talent is coming to the table empty-handed, too. Gerwig isn't saying she might have some idea that she could become a movie at some point; it sounds like she very much has something specific in mind but isn't sharing that idea with anyone. Gerwig "and her writing partner and husband, Noah Baumbach, have made it clear in negotiations that they have a story they want to tell and are ready to begin writing. This, too, is being used as a point of leverage. Warner Bros. doesn't know what the idea is, and the pair won't tell the studio, or begin writing, until the deal is done."
So, basically, the Barbie sequel is somehow already a mess, and no one has written a single word of the script yet, which is an impressive feat for a doll that doesn't control the railways or the flow of commerce. Nobody knows what's going on, so say the people the Times spoke to – sounds like the state of women's healthcare.
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