The future of the «Barbie» sequel is hanging in the balance. Warner Bros. has yet to reach an agreement with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and director Greta Gerwig on the terms of their continued collaboration. If the parties fail to reach a deal by December 2026, the studio will lose the rights to produce the sequel.

The news was first reported by The New York Times. According to the publication, financial disagreements remain the main obstacle. The filmmakers are seeking not only higher salaries but also a share of the sequel’s future box office revenue. Ryan Gosling, who received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Ken, is reportedly seeking $20 million to reprise the role.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that Warner Bros. did not secure long-term sequel agreements with the film’s stars or director during the production of the original «Barbie». As a result, every aspect of a new deal now has to be negotiated from scratch. According to Western media reports, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav considers the creative team’s financial demands excessive.

Warner Bros. co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca confirmed that the studio has already made «several substantial offers», but negotiations have yet to produce an agreement.

«We have an active rights agreement with Mattel, and we have made several substantial offers to move forward with the next «Barbie» film. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to reach an agreement», they said.

Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig and her husband and co-writer, Noah Baumbach, have already developed a concept for the sequel. However, they do not intend to begin writing the screenplay until all agreements have been finalized. They are also keeping the story details strictly confidential and have not shared them with the studio.

If no agreement is reached by the end of the year, the production rights will revert to Mattel. In that case, the company would have to develop the project independently — without using any story elements from the 2023 film. The current creative team would also not automatically be involved in the new production.

Released in 2023, «Barbie» became a global phenomenon. The film grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, received eight Academy Award nominations, and became the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. history.

Photo: Instagram @barbiethemovie

Warner Bros. Discovery has entered into a $110 billion merger agreement with Paramount Skydance, according to an official statement released by Paramount Global. The deal is now subject to approval by the European Commission.

The combined company plans to release at least 30 films per year — 15 from Warner Bros. and 15 from Paramount Pictures. As Warner Bros. had previously signed an agreement with Netflix, Paramount will pay the streaming giant $2.88 billion to terminate the existing contract.

The agreement follows Netflix’s decision not to proceed with its own acquisition of Warner Bros. Shortly before that, Paramount had submitted a more attractive offer. Netflix chose not to raise its bid, stating that doing so would render the purchase financially unviable.

As a result, Paramount acquired Warner Bros. Discovery in full, paying $110 billion for the entire company. Netflix had planned to purchase only the Warner Bros. film studio, the HBO Max streaming platform, and the HBO television network for $82.7 billion.

Last December, Warner Bros. initially agreed to Netflix’s proposal and rejected Paramount’s competing bid. However, after several improved offers from Paramount, Warner Bros. ultimately opted to accept Paramount’s terms.

Photo: Dmitry Kropachev, Brad Weaver/Unsplash

American singer and actor Chris Brown has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. and Ample, demanding $500 million in damages following the release of the documentary «Chris Brown: A History of Violence».

In the film, the 35-year-old artist is described as a «serial rapist and sexual abuser». In response, the singer accused the producers of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress with these statements. According to Brown, the film is based on a false narrative, reports Variety.

The documentary, released in October 2024, tells the story of a woman named Jane Doe, who allegedly became a victim of sexual violence by Chris. The alleged victim claimed that Chris raped her during a party on a yacht near Sean «Diddy» Combs’ estate in Miami in December 2020.

In Brown’s lawsuit, it is stated that the documentary is based on the victim’s complaint, which, according to the court document, had previously been dismissed as «filled with lies».

Photo: Instagram @chrisbrownofficial