'Barbie 2' could be 'dead' as talks for sequel drag on

When Barbie appeared on the big screen, it shook Hollywood. Made on a budget of not more than $150 million, the Mattel doll grossed over a billion dollars.

So, the talks for its sequel have some very high stakes. However, it is an impasse.

The negotiations, according to Variety, drag on over salary and, to some extent, creative matters between Warner Bros. Discovery and the team behind Barbie, that is Greta Gerwig, Ryan Gosling, and Margot Robbie.

In the past three years, the studio, on their behalf, reportedly made over six offers. But they have all been rejected.

But the most recent offer this spring included what a source told Variety was the biggest ever put on the table by the studio.

However, another insider rejected this, stressing the package may be historic but individual salaries are not.

With upfront salaries and back-end deals isssue at a standstill, there is an urgency factor.

Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to merge with Paramount, which might get finalized before the end of this year - meaning if the talks do not get through until 2026, then Mattel doll negotiations have to start over.

Amid the stalemate, Barbie has been one of the biggest hits of Warner Bros., and if a sequel comes to fruition, it may replicate the success of the original.