'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 pricetags 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.