Quick summary
- A Barbie 2 pay dispute is reportedly holding up the sequel, according to a Variety report relayed by the New York Post on 11 November 2026.
- Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Greta Gerwig are said to have sought $25 million each, plus bigger profit shares.
- Talks reportedly collapsed under Warner Bros.’ previous management, and the matter now sits with Skydance chief David Ellison.
- Two sources cited by Variety say the sides hope for a deal by the end of the year.
- Nothing has been confirmed on the record, and a CAA spokesperson declined to comment.
The Barbie sequel is reportedly stuck on money. A Variety report, summarised by the New York Post on 11 November, says Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and director Greta Gerwig each asked for $25 million, along with larger shares of the profits, and the Barbie 2 pay dispute is now the first big creative test for Ellison since his company took over Warner Bros. Discovery.
What the Barbie 2 pay dispute involves
According to the report, the demands came after the success of the first film, which ComicBook.com describes as the biggest movie of 2023. The creative team reportedly wanted richer deals for a follow-up.
Noah Baumbach, Gerwig’s co-screenwriter, would reportedly split a writing fee with her under the proposal. The talks were said to be led by CAA agent Bryan Lourd, who represents the team. A CAA spokesperson declined to comment to the Post, and Lourd could not immediately be reached.
None of the figures has been confirmed by the people named. They come from Variety’s unnamed sources, so treat them as reported, not settled.
Why the talks stalled before
Variety reported that talks broke down under Warner Bros.’ earlier leadership. Former Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav reportedly balked at the profit-sharing terms before Ellison bought the company.
The timing was awkward. The studio was reportedly facing a deadline to renew its licensing rights to the Barbie franchise while the negotiations ran. Gerwig and Baumbach had also pitched a sequel to studio film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who were ousted days before Skydance completed its takeover in October.
The money behind the decision
Skydance closed its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on 6 October, the Post reports. The company now carries roughly $80 billion in net debt and faces more than $6 billion in interest expenses in 2027, though it reported about $10 billion in cash on Monday.
At the same time it has pledged to spend more than $30 billion a year on content, a figure the Post says is higher than the individual budgets of Netflix and Disney. Ellison is also targeting at least $6 billion in annual cost savings over three years. A 9 November shareholder letter named corporate overhead, offices and facilities as the biggest target, with at least $2.2 billion in projected yearly savings.
That is the tension in this story: a studio that wants more films but is cutting costs, weighing $25 million cheques for a franchise that proved enormously lucrative. Variety also reported that layoffs are expected by the end of 2026 and into early 2027.
Robbie’s other news this week
Away from the negotiations, Robbie’s 2016 film The Legend of Tarzan is drawing a streaming audience again. ComicBook.com says the film, directed by David Yates, holds a 35% score on Rotten Tomatoes but grossed $357.2 million worldwide against a $180 million budget. It is available on HBO Max. We covered the film’s climb in Margot Robbie’s The Legend of Tarzan Climbs HBO Max Charts, and you can find more in our Margot Robbie archive.
What happens next
Two sources cited by Variety say Ellison, Lourd and Mattel’s former chief executive, Ynon Kreiz, hope to reach an agreement by year’s end. No release date, cast confirmation or script has been announced, and the studio has not commented publicly on the figures. Follow our Movies coverage for updates.
Frequently asked questions
Is Barbie 2 officially happening?
Not on the record. The reports describe sequel talks and a pitch from Gerwig and Baumbach, but no studio announcement confirms production.
How much do Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling reportedly want?
Variety, as relayed by the New York Post, says Robbie, Gosling and Gerwig each sought $25 million plus larger profit shares. The figures are unconfirmed.
Who is deciding the outcome?
David Ellison, whose Skydance completed its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on 6 October, is reportedly the executive who must resolve the standoff.
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