Gosling, Oscar-nominated for His Role As Ken, Is Reportedly Seeking $20M (£14.8M) to Return

Warner Bros risks losing the rights to a Barbie sequel unless it reaches pay deals with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Greta Gerwig by December, according to a New York Times report. The 2023 blockbuster earned an estimated $1.5bn (£1.1bn) worldwide, scored eight Oscar nominations, and became the studio's biggest hit ever. Gosling, Oscar-nominated for his role as Ken, is reportedly seeking $20m (£14.8m) to return.

All three are represented by CAA. The rights revert to Mattel if no agreements are signed by year-end. Studio co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said: "We have a rights deal with Mattel in place and have made a series of big offers to try and finalise deals to make the next Barbie film.

Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far. If Mattel takes the project elsewhere, it could not use original story elements or involve Robbie, Gosling, or Gerwig. The studio signed only a one-movie deal with Gerwig and no sequel commitments from the stars.

Robbie told the Associated Press at the time: "We didn't build it to be a trilogy or something … We put everything into this one. Gerwig and her husband and writing partner Noah Baumbach have said they have an idea for a sequel and are ready to write if terms are agreed. The news follows a rough year for Warner Bros, with big-budget releases like Supergirl and The Bride underperforming, and its planned merger with Paramount put on hold after a court injunction.