Barbie sequel 'stalls' due to salaries demanded by Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie
Warner Bros have been negotiating with the stars for months without success
The sequel to the box office hit Barbie has reportedly stalled due to negotiations over Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's salaries.
Listen to this article
The star pair led the 2023 movie as the iconic toy dolls Barbie and Ken which led to the The Warner Bros production earning more than $1.4 billion.
The studio is said to be desperate for a second film after the first exceeded expectations, the New York Times reports.
But the company is locked in a battle as the rights to Barbie will revert to Mattel, the toy manufacturing company, if it does not make a deal with the principal talent for a sequel by December.
Read more: Has the scrutiny of Ariana Grande gone too far?
Read more: Comedian Jimmy Cricket dies aged 80
Bosses at Warner Bros heads have been negotiating with Robbie, Gosling and co-director Greta Gerwig for months without success.
Insiders told The Times that CEO David Zaslav rejected offers that included a cut of the profits for the film’s stars, provided it hit a box office target and a massive upfront payday of $20 million for Gosling.
It is reported that at least half a dozen offers have been made to the stars, but representatives have declined them all.
A statement from the company 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."
The first movie released in 2023 landed eight Oscar nominations but the studio did not ask any stars to commit to sequels.
It became one of 53 productions in box office history to make over $1 billion and the biggest to be directed by a woman.