The Barbie 2 delay is frustrating a whole lot of people

Obviously, the main sticking point here is money, with those on the Warner side claiming that its offer is a “life-changing” amount of money and the highest package Warner has ever offered any movie. Another source threw a bit of cold water on that assertion, stating that while the overall package was huge, the individual payments for each of the four were not historic. Variety confirms the previous figure of a $20 million salary to get Ryan Gosling to return as Ken. Robbie is said to have ultimately collected north of $50 million for the first movie and Gerwig to have made “tens of millions,” and both are seeking more this time around. Wherever those salaries are currently is supposedly satisfactory, but it’s the back end that’s a sticking point according to another source (who, again, is disputed in the story). 

Apparently everyone except David Zaslav—a bit of a lame duck—is cool with this and thinks it’s worthwhile. A quote attributed to a “rival exec” dubbed this “Classic Zas,” while another said “I bet this would be the first deal [David Ellison] makes,” which, we have to point out, sounds like something a source in favor of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger would say. Still, whoever that is is not the only one who can’t believe that Zaslav is digging in his heels about this issue. Said another source: “How is it not in the interest of WBD shareholders to have a sequel to the biggest film in the studio’s history?”