As mentioned, Chris Hemsworth isn’t signed for The Avengers 2 yet and a couple of the other leads are still working on negotiations. The problem is that they all know how much Downey Jr. made and considering how much the film grossed at the box office, they all want huge raises. /Film explains that Marvel pays their stars very little at the outset because the idea is that the exposure they gain from starring in a Marvel movie will pay off in the future. Still, knowing how much Downey Jr. made off the film ($50 million-ish) compared to what the other cast members made (on average a few hundred grand), is a hard pill to swallow.
In short, Marvel is now faced with some complicated negotiations and the road to securing all their leads will be a long one. Sure, you can view this as a bunch of greedy pigs fighting over money they don’t need, but then again, it’s Hollywood, so it’s expected. If Robert Downey Jr. isn’t happy with a $50 million dollar payday then let him ask for more. It’s absolutely ridiculous but not unheard of in an industry that is built on greed and excess.
So, a lot is now up in the air. We know that The Avengers 2 will definitely still be moving forward and likely, Marvel is going to have to fork up a huge amount of money to make it happen. But it will happen. It’s also likely that Robert Downey Jr. will be able to secure a deal for both Avengers sequels as he’s said in the past that he’s willing to negotiate and I’m sure that the two parties will be able to reach a deal.
As for Iron Man 4, well, that’s tough to predict. Right now, it doesn’t look likely that it will happen, at least not anytime soon. Especially considering that Marvel has a lot more to focus on in the coming future as they are currently developing films for Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Doctor Strange and a whole handful of other characters that they haven’t announced yet.
Then again, sources for Deadline are saying that Marvel needs Robert Downey Jr. and he has a ton of leverage right now. What’s even more interesting is that some of the negotiations have become pretty heated with the studio telling some of their stars that they can be recast and the actors telling them to go ahead and do so. None of them want to budge and they are refusing to be strong armed. Making things harder for Marvel is that all the other actors are kind of uniting behind Downey Jr., as he wields all the power. “He’s the only guy with real power in this situation. and balls of steel, too. He’s already sent a message that he’s not going to work for a place where they treat his colleagues like shit,” another source explained. You can read the full story over at Deadline and we advise you do so, as it’s interesting stuff.
As the Marvel universe continues to grow, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. For now though, let us know what you make of all this in the comments below.