Barbie 2 Back In Play as Movie Rights Deadline Looms

Skydance is moving to revive a sequel to Barbie as the studio faces a December 2026 deadline to keep the film rights to Mattel’s blockbuster franchise.

The push comes amid the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery under David Ellison’s Skydance, with the incoming regime looking to fast-track Barbie 2 after the project stalled under the previous Warner Bros. leadership.

The sequel had been held up in part by reported salary demands from director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. But the change in leadership has prompted a renewed push to bring the key players back to the franchise.

Incoming film chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein have already reached out to Robbie and her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, in an effort to reestablish talks and maintain continuity on the sequel.

Skydance also recently appointed former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz—who helped bring the 2023 blockbuster to fruition—as co-CEO of the combined company. The timing appears critical as Warner Bros. has until December 2026 to put a Barbie sequel into active development under its existing rights arrangement. If that deadline passes, the film rights would revert to Mattel, potentially forcing the franchise into a new development cycle.

A story concept for the sequel is said to already exist, but the writing team is reportedly holding back details until new contracts are finalized with the studio.

The original Barbie, directed by Gerwig and starring Robbie and Gosling, became a global phenomenon and one of the highest-grossing films in Warner Bros. history. The prospect of reuniting the creative team now appears to be a priority for the studio as the rights clock continues to run.