‘Barbie 2’ Talks Reportedly Stalled Because Warner Bros. CEO Won’t Pay Stars Enough, Studio Denies

“Barbie” may not be getting a sequel after all … because, according to a new report, Warner Bros. and the creators are down for a return to pink — but aren’t seeing eye to eye on the green.

Here’s the deal … the New York Times published a story Friday based on conversations with multiple anonymous sources … who say David Zaslav — the CEO and President of Warner Bros. — blanched at the prices tags being commanded by stars like Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

According to NYT, Ryan specifically is looking for a salary in the range of $20 million … but Zaslav “deemed the offers, including when participation in profits would kick in, too generous and would not sign off.”

Warner Bros. denied this to the Times … saying it’s actually the talent who declined very generous offers back in May — and haven’t sent counteroffers yet. A spokesperson for the org. specifically denied Zaslav blanched at any offers.

There’s a ticking clock on the negotiations too … because the rights to Barbie revert to Mattel if a deal isn’t done by September — so the two sides have only a few months to put pen to paper.

The first “Barbie” movie proved to be a cash cow for Warner Bros. … raking in nearly $1.5 billion at the box office and revitalizing movie theaters along with “Oppenheimer.”

Worth noting … Margot previously cast doubt on whether a sequel would ever come to fruition — though she thought a creative drought would be the major obstacle, not finances.

NYT reports Greta Gerwig and her longtime partner Noah Baumbach are ready to start writing as soon as a deal is signed … so sounds like creativity ain’t holding anything up here.