Barbie 2 talks hit snag over $25M paydays for Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Greta Gerwig in new test for David Ellison

Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Greta Gerwig sought $25 million apiece — plus bigger profit shares — for “Barbie 2,” leaving Skydance CEO David Ellison to resolve a contract standoff as his Hollywood empire grapples with massive debt, according to a report.Talks collapsed under Warner Bros.’ previous management when the creative team pushed for more lucrative deals following the original film’s success, Variety reported Wednesday.Gerwig’s co-screenwriter, Noah Baumbach, would reportedly share a writing fee with the director, under the “Barbie 2” proposal.Former WBD CEO David Zaslav balked at the proposed profit-sharing terms before Ellison bought his company, according to Variety.The talks were reportedly led by powerful CAA agent Bryan Lourd, who represents the creative team.Ellison’s Skydance completed its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros.Discovery on Oct.

6.Two sources cited by Variety said Ellison, Lourd and Kreiz — the former CEO of Barbie maker Mattel — hope to reach an agreement by year’s end.The earlier negotiations unfolded as Warner Bros.faced a deadline to renew its licensing rights to the Barbie franchise, the publication reported.Gerwig and Baumbach previously pitched a sequel to Warner Bros.

film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who were ousted just days before Skydance completed its takeover in October.The reported dispute with the A-listers comes as Skydance looks to expand its movie slate while cutting billions in costs across the newly merged company.Skydance faces more than $6 billion in interest expenses in 2027 on roughly $80 billion in net debt.The company on Monday reported about $10 billion in cash on hand following the takeover and related financing activity.Skydance has pledged to spend more than $30 billion annually on content, surpassing the individual budgets of Netflix and Disney.Ellison has targeted at least $6 billion in annual cost savings over the next three years as Skydance restructures its n...