Barbie 2 is reportedly in development, with Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach having finally “cracked the code” and pitched their sequel idea to Warner Bros., following the success of the $1.4 billion box office hit (via THR). Margot Robbie is expected to reprise her role as the lead.
While representatives for Gerwig, Baumbach, and Warner Bros. have denied that a sequel is currently in progress, sources from THR remain confident in their reporting, asserting that their well-placed contacts have provided reliable information.
Gerwig has previously expressed uncertainty about returning for a sequel, stating that she lacked ideas for continuing the story. Robbie echoed these sentiments, sharing her doubts about a Barbie sequel:
“I think we put everything we had into this one. We didn’t build it to be a trilogy or something. Greta [Gerwig] put everything into this movie, so I can’t imagine what would be next.”
This suggests that they may not have been offered the right financial incentives yet. In Hollywood, it’s well-known that money talks, and not pursuing a sequel to a billion-dollar success like Barbie was likely never a viable option.
Read also: Behind the Scenes of 'The Friends': What Lisa Kudrow Aaid About the Relationship of the Actors
Complicating matters, when the first film was greenlit, Gerwig, Robbie, and Ryan Gosling did not have contractual agreements in place for a sequel, which is unusual for major franchises that typically secure their talent in advance. This indicates that the trio would likely need to be offered a substantial sum to return.
Currently, Gerwig is in pre-production for Netflix’s adaptation of Chronicles of Narnia, which its producer, Amy Pascal, has described as “very rock and roll.”
