Warner Bros. According to a new report, David Corenswet isn’t the highest-paid star in the cast of Superman, with one actor earning a substantially larger salary, and director James Gunn making even more.
After Henry Cavill’s polarizing tenure in the defunct DCEU, David Corenswet is at the forefront of Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe as the new Man of Steel.
Superman has been a hit, grossing more than $230 million worldwide, and Gunn has big plans for what’s next, while the cast is contracted for further films.
Neither Corenswet – nor any of the other stars – have discussed their salaries thus far, but as per a Puck News report, he earned less than $1 million for the lead role.
Nicholas Hoult has the highest Superman salary
Warner Bros.Nicholas Hoult, who plays Lex Luthor, reportedly received the highest salary in the Superman cast: $2 million. Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Lois Lane, were both paid $750,000 each.
“All three are in line for box office bonuses if Superman performs, of course,” the report notes, adding that Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav was “giddy” at the premiere.
At first glance, this may seem a little strange; why didn’t the actor who plays the titular character get the most money?
Warner Bros.Well, Corenswet hasn’t been in many movies. He had supporting roles in Twisters and Pearl, both well-reviewed, successful films, but he’s never had a lead role in a project of this scale. Similarly, as the report says, Brosnahan is a “TV star untested in film” best known for her performance in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, so their $750k price tags actually make sense.
Related
On the other hand, Hoult is a known quantity in TV and film, having been introduced to audiences in 2002’s About a Boy, starring in the iconic opening seasons of Skins (a British coming-of-age drama), and later appearing in the likes of X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Menu, and Nosferatu.
In short, Superman is the wider draw for audiences, not Corenswet, while Hoult could be an appeal to viewers on his own.
James Gunn made $15 million on Superman
Warner Bros.But those numbers are nothing compared to what writer-director James Gunn earned on the movie, with Variety reporting he was paid $15 million, which is 20x what his lead actors made.
That’s on top of the seven figures he makes as the co-COO of DC Studios. But Gunn is the brains behind the iteration of Superman, overseeing every aspect of production, so much of the movie’s success is down to him.
Plus he managed to keep the overheads low, with the new film said to have spent less on actors than 2013’s Man of Steel, which had a decorated supporting cast that included Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Michael Shannon, Laurence Fishburne, and Russell Crowe.
Superman is in cinemas now, so find out more about where Superman will be streaming, how long it is, details about its post-credits scenes, and why Robert Pattinson should be the DCU’s Batman.