The countdown to Barbieland: Will we ever get a ‘Barbie’ sequel?

Published on 03/08/2026 - 13:23 GMT+2

The return to Barbieland is proving to be difficult...

The sequel to 2023’s hit film Barbie has hit a sizeable roadblock when it comes to reaching a deal with the lead stars, and time is running out.

According to the New York Times, Warner Bros. has until December to make a deal with director / co-writer Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling before the rights revert to Mattel.

The studio has reportedly been in negotiations with the talent for months and has offered them impressive pay packages which include a share of the profits should the sequel reach certain milestones at the box office. However, the outlet claims that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has declined to approve the proposed deal because he believed it was “too generous.”

The New York Times also reported that a Warner Bros. spokesperson disputed that characterization, saying talent representatives declined an offer made in May and that no counteroffer had been made.

“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,” studio co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far.”

The stalled negotiations don't mean that a sequel is completely off the books. However, many fans of the original are hoping that Gerwig and her cast leave the film as it is – ie: a cultural phenomenon that not only made up one half of the Barbenheimer moment, but served as proof that a solid concept and an inventive script can elevate what could have been an soulless exercise in brand advertisement.

Barbie ended up earning more than $1.4 billion at the global box office and scored eight Oscar nominations. It is still the highest-grossing film to be directed by a woman, followed by Frozen II (co-directed by Jennifer Lee with Chris Buck) and Captain Marvel (co-directed by Anna Boden with Ryan Fleck).

In Euronews Culture's Barbenheimer review, we wrote: "What works in this meta-spectacle works wonders. It’s not the lazy mash-up of Enchanted and The Lego Movie that it seemed initially, and both Robbie and Gosling are terrific. Most impressively, what could have been a committee-commissioned corporate trap to sell toys under the guise of self-awareness is actually far weirder than anyone could have expected."

We added: "It’s still a toy movie, mind you, but a satirical one that somehow manages to have its pink cake and eat it too."