Salary Demands Allegedly Stall ‘Barbie’ Sequel: What Did Margot Robbie Make for the First Film?
More than two years after Barbie became a cultural phenomenon and a $1.4 billion global box office hit, a sequel remains stuck in limbo. There have been talks, plenty of them, but recent reports suggest Warner Bros. can’t seem to reach a deal with the movie’s stars and writer-director. The latest reports also reveal exactly what Margot Robbie drew in after signing up for the original Barbie movie.
Talks for a ‘Barbie’ sequel have stalled
If you are hoping for a Barbie sequel sooner rather than later, you’ll likely be disappointed. A recent report from the New York Times claims that Warner Bros. is keen to get the team back together, with six offers sliding across a table, but no deal has been struck just yet. The production giant apparently isn’t willing to meet the demands of the core group that helped make the movie a massive hit.
Demands reportedly include upfront pay bumps along with more generous back-end profit participation for Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Greta Gerwig. Gerwig’s husband and co-writer, Noah Baumbach, is also seeking a fee increase, though substantially smaller than the one demanded of the movie’s stars. Gosling alone is reportedly seeking $20 million to reprise his Oscar-nominated role as Ken.
A Warner Bros. spokesperson told the Times that it was the talent side that rejected the studio’s most recent offer. Some insiders claim Warner Bros. is not against the upfront asks, but is refusing demands for profit-sharing.
Warner Bros. co-chairs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca addressed the situation directly in a statement to the Times. They said the studio has “made a series of big offers to try and finalize deals to make the next Barbie film.” The co-chairs went on to share that the studio has “been unable to reach an agreement thus far.” If the studio wishes to make the movie, they’ll need to come up with a contract before December. Reportedly, their sequel rights expire that month. If that were to happen, Mattel could, theoretically, shop a sequel at another production studio. It wouldn’t be a hard sell. Most studios would likely pay big money to garner the rights to the iconic franchise.
What Margot Robbie made on the original film
While it is unclear exactly what Margot Robbie is asking for to appear in a Barbie sequel, the number is likely staggering. After all, she earned a hefty paycheck for taking on the role of the iconic toy doll just a few years ago. According to Variety, which cited three individuals with knowledge of her deal, Robbie was set to earn roughly $50 million in combined salary and box office bonuses for the original film.
That figure reflected both her starring role and her work as a producer through her company, LuckyChap Entertainment. The franchise is deeply embedded in Robbie’s career. LuckyChap has held the rights to develop the Barbie IP for several years, long before Warner Bros. greenlit the production.
The massive payday made Robbie one of the best-compensated actresses in Hollywood for a single film. She joined a list that included Scarlett Johansson, who earned upwards of $95 million for her involvement in the MCU, and Sandra Bullock, who reportedly earned more than $70 million for her work on Gravity more than a decade ago.
For now, talks have stalled. That doesn’t mean the Barbie franchise will end with a single film. Considering its box office success, it’s practically a given that a sequel will be made at some point.
