Various sources have reported that Robert Downey Jr., star of the Iron Man franchise and highest paid actor in last summer’s blockbuster The Avengers (for which he received a cool $50 million) is asking for $100 million to continue to appear in Marvel Studios’ productions.
Apparently the $100 million deal, which is close to but not yet signed, will have Downey Jr. appearing in two sequels to The Avengers and potentially a fourth Iron Man movie.
In addition, the huge pay day would make Downey Jr the highest paid actor in the history of Hollywood, beating records set by Will Smith (who earned $80 million in 2007-2008) and Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise (who earned $75 million in 2011-2012) according to lists compiled by Forbes.
One reason Downey Jr. may be asking for so much is in order to help secure better deals for his Avengers cast mates, who include Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson. Marvel Studios has become notorious for being cheap and underpaying their actors, despite making large profits and, so far, having produced no financial bombs at the box office.
The big question is whether Marvel Studios, Disney and head honcho, Kevin Feige, are willing to pay out so much to secure an actor best known for delivering “a cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner.”
Originally published May 13, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
