‘Barbie 2’ Halted Over Excessive Money Demands, Studio Missteps
Barbie 2 never seemed like an option, and the movie would just go off to cinematic heaven. However, it did so phenomenally well that the executives have opted for a sequel and put the wheels in motion. Unfortunately, those wheels have stalled given the alleged financial demands from the main stars. Moreover, the studio made a few missteps with the first film that are trickling over. Keep reading for more about what is holding the sequel up.
Barbie 2 Stalled Over Money & Missteps
When Barbie was initially released, it became a cultural phenomenon. Fans became obsessed with the story, the characters, and especially the cast. Margot Robbie played the main character and nailed it with no notes. Ryan Gosling stepped in as a bleached-blonde Ken and exceeded expectations, even getting an Oscar nomination. Plus, he performed at the awards ceremony, which blew the roof off and had everyone in awe.
It did not appear that there would be a sequel, although the film did incredibly well, raking in $1.45 billion worldwide. However, the studio changed its mind and decided that this would be the best idea. Wheels were allegedly in motion but have stalled for a bevy of reasons. The first is high salary demands. Ryan Gosling is asking close to $20 million to don his Ken look for a second time, but he more than deserves it. He made $12.5 million for the first, so this is not an incredible jump.
The other issue is that the studio made a major misstep when they signed initial Barbie contracts. They failed to ask any of the film’s stars to commit to doing a sequel, which would have forced them to come back if they wanted to make another movie. It is likely they had no idea what a massive success it would be.
Time Is Of The Essence
In December, the film rights to Barbie will no longer belong to the studio. Rather, they will be returned to toymaker Mattel. Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca, co-chairs of Warner Bros., released a statement on the film’s struggles. They had this to say regarding where it currently stands:
“We 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.”
There were toys, clothing, games, costumes, and so much more affiliated with the movie. It made a killing, especially around the holidays, so it would be a shame to miss out on a sequel. However, as the chairs stated, they have tried and failed. Time will tell if something can happen within the next four months.
Would you like to see a sequel to Barbie, and are you shocked that this is not coming to fruition? Let us know in the comments below.
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