Barbie 2 waits as new Skydance chief says it is too early to decide

There is still no start date for Barbie 2.

Former Mattel chief executive Ynon Kreiz, newly named co-chief executive of Skydance, was asked at a press conference for the combined company when a sequel would become a go project, industry shorthand for a film formally approved for production, and replied: "Too early to talk about that," according to Deadline which asked the question and reported the exchange on 7 October 2026.

Kreiz knows the property well. He was involved in the first Warner Bros film based on the Mattel doll, which Deadline on the same date put at $1.44 billion at the global box office and described as the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros history.

That history adds pressure to the decision. The Barbie film rights would revert to Mattel at the end of the year, according to the same 7 October report, which leaves the new owners with a short window to agree terms if a sequel is to stay with the studio.

Kreiz was speaking alongside the team that will manage that slate. Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are chairs of the Skydance Motion Picture Group, and Skydance is inheriting 36 dated Warner Bros theatre releases, according to Deadline.

Other titles on that slate also lack firm answers. Writer-director Noah Baumbach has made a first-look deal, an agreement giving a studio first refusal on a film-maker's projects, with Clockwork, Warner Bros's specialist label for smaller films. An untitled Baz Luhrmann film is not shooting yet and is reportedly in pre-production, while the Weapons prequel Gladys has a new draft but still needs a director to make its September 2028 release date.

Earlier reporting provides context for the delay. A Barbie sequel had not been greenlit because of continuing talks with top-level talent, according to a Deadline report published on 23 September 2026.

The leadership change is part of a wider merger. Chairman and chief executive David Ellison announced Kreiz as co-chief executive of the anticipated combined Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery on 30 September 2026, according to Skydance. Kreiz was due to join Paramount on 5 October and become co-chief executive when the Warner Bros deal closes, after a United States judge allowed Paramount to close the acquisition, according to Reuters.

For fans, this means waiting a little longer. The executive with the closest link to Barbie is now in charge, the rights clock is ticking, and the studio is still saying nothing firm about a return to Barbie Land.