Heigl salary stories 'ludicrous'

A spokesperson for Katherine Heigl has lashed out at reports she was dropped from an upcoming A-list movie ensemble due to her extortionate salary demands.

The 'Grey's Anatomy' star, who broke into movies with 2007 comedy hit 'Knocked Up', was expected to join Hollywood superstars Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner and Anne Hathaway in romantic comedy 'Valentine's Day', due to hit screens in 2011.

But according to online reports, the star was booted out of the casting line-up after demanding payment of $3m (€2.16m), despite working for a maximum of 14 days.

A source close to the project told New York gossip column PageSix that "no other actors asked for nearly that amount".

However, Heigl's publicist has refuted the rumours - insisting it was the actress who decided not to take part in the film.

The rep told PageSix: "The story is ludicrous. Early negotiations are a daily occurrence in this business, and just for clarification, Katherine walked away from this project for multiple reasons."