Ryan Gosling in talks to star alongside Margot Robbie in live-action 'Barbie' movie

Hollywood star Ryan Gosling is currently in final negotiations to join Margot Robbie as Ken for Warner Bros.'s live-action take on Barbie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, the duo known for their quirky and critically loved dramas, wrote the script for the long-gestating project with Gerwig set to direct. Robbie is starring as Barbie and producing the project via her LuckyChap banner alongside LuckyChap's Tom Ackerley. Mattel Films' Robbie Brenner and Paddington's David Heyman are also producing.

Plans to adapt Barbie's story for the big screen have taken on a few iterations in recent years, but when Robbie, Gerwig and Baumbach boarded the project in 2018 and 2019, respectively, things have been full steam ahead.

In July, Variety reported Barbie was set to start production in early 2022 at WB's Leavesden Studios in London, with a planned 2023 theatrical release.

Not much has been revealed about the movie's plot, but one major question has been answered with the casting of Ken. The doll most recently appeared in the Toy Story franchise, voiced in Toy Story 3 by Michael Keaton.

Gosling was offered the role in the summer but due to scheduling issues declined. When the feature project got pushed back, it allowed for an opening, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

He recently wrapped production on The Gray Man, the big-budget Netflix action thriller from Anthony and Joe Russo.

Most recently, Gosling starred as legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong in First Man, after playing opposite Harrison Ford in Blade Runner 2049. He holds Oscar nominations for his performance in 2006's Half Nelson and 2016's La La Land. (ANI)