The New York Times has reported about the Barbie sequel talks: “The studio chiefs have been negotiating with the talent for months. The offers 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 (his current asking price), two people with knowledge of the talks said.
“But David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive, deemed the offers, including when participation in profits would kick in, too generous and would not sign off, the people said.”
Another industry source said the impasse was about more than headline salaries. The insider said: “Everyone recognizes Barbie 2 would be one of the biggest films in development. Margot and Ryan feel they helped create a cultural phenomenon and expect compensation that reflects that. The studio is trying to control costs, but there is still optimism that a compromise can be reached.”
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said in a 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.”