Barbie was the highest-grossing movie of 2023, and it swiftly became a worldwide phenomenon, which made a sequel seem very likely. In fact, even as some Barbie fans argued that the story was perfect on its own and might be brought down by a sequel, discourse about a follow-on story persisted. Yet, it seems like naysayers might have their way in the end, as it’s been reported by the New York Times that, although Barbie director and writer Greta Gerwig and writer Noah Baumbach are ready with an idea for Barbie 2, contract negotiations have stalled.
According to that report, Warner Bros. only has until December of this year to strike a deal for a sequel movie with the principal talent. Otherwise, the rights will revert to Mattel. Unfortunately, it seems things aren’t exactly going smoothly. Allegedly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav has found offers thus far to be too generous, and talent representatives haven’t submitted a counteroffer after declining the last offer, which came in May. Whatever the case may be, Barbie 2 seems firmly stalled (and possibly on the chopping block), and that in turn could raise questions about Ryan Gosling’s major, newly-announced project Ghost Rider.
One of the biggest announcements at the San Diego Comic Con Marvel panel was the news that Gosling will officially be joining the MCU as Ghost Rider—a role he has long wanted—and will star in a standalone 2028 movie titled Ghost Rider. This new Ghost Rider movie will be directed by Shawn Levy, the same director at the helm of the 2027 Star Wars movie Star Wars: Starfighter, for which Gosling is also the star. Clearly, Gosling is booked and busy, which does raise questions about what his schedule could handle in terms of the addition of yet another major blockbuster.
However, it seems most likely that a potential Barbie sequel would be impacted by Ghost Rider, and not the other way around. For one, Ghost Rider is already slated for 2028, so it’s safe to assume that work is underway, at least in terms of early development. By comparison, Gerwig and Baumbach have indicated that they are “ready” to write, but the writing has not begun and presumably wouldn’t until a deal was struck. With that in mind, it will very likely be years before Barbie 2 is released, if it ever is at all.
In fact, the better question very well may be whether Gosling will want to revisit Barbie following his massive Star Wars and MCU debuts in the next two years. That isn’t to undercut how successful and popular Barbie was, but considering it’s Gosling’s own contract (along with his costars’ contracts) that is allegedly being considered “too generous,” perhaps the star will feel like it is time to move on.
