Warner Bros. Discovery is racing to secure a sequel to "Barbie" before its film rights revert to Mattel in December, with negotiations to bring back director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling still stalled. The stand-off matters because it could see one of the most commercially successful films of recent years slip out of Warner Bros.' hands just as the studio faces uncertainty over its planned merger with Paramount Skydance, which is currently paused pending an antitrust lawsuit.

According to The New York Times, talks have dragged on for months without meaningful progress, with Warner Bros. chief David Zaslav reportedly baulking at offers he considers too generous, including a reported $20 million fee for Gosling plus a share of profits tied to box office performance. Talent representatives are said to have rejected the studio's latest offer back in May, with no counter-offer made since, while Gerwig's original contract for the first film reportedly did not commit her to a sequel. Mattel chief executive Ynon Kreiz has voiced frustration at the delay, while the original "Barbie" grossed $1.5 billion worldwide, earned eight Oscar nominations and won Best Original Song, underlining the stakes involved.