Robert Downey Jr

Robert Downey Jr

It is rumoured that Robert Downey Jr could be line for a $100 million payout to reprise the role of Tony Stark in Avengers 2, Avengers 3 and a fourth Iron Man film.

If the Oscar nominated actor could negotiate this mega money deal that would make him the biggest paid actor in Hollywood.

But Hollywood is no stranger to handing over large paychecks to secure the biggest names for their films.

We take a look at what some of cinema's biggest names have been paid to secure their signature on a contract.

- Johnny Depp - $53 million

The Oscar nominated actor secured an eye watering $55 million to reprise the role of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

That is one of the biggest payouts for a single movie of all time as Depp returned to his most iconic role for a fourth film.

However it could be considered money very well spend as On Stranger Tides went on to gross in excess of $1 billion at the global box office at the end of it's theatrical run.

On Stranger Tides is the eleventh biggest grossing movie of all time and but just failed to overtake Dead Man's Chest as the most successful film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

- Tom Hanks - $50 million

Tom Hanks was reportedly paid a whopping $50 million to take on the role of Robert Langdon in the big screen adaptation of Dan Brown's smash hit novel The Da Vinci Code.

Directed by Ron Howard the movie was one of the most anticipated of 2006 as Hanks teamed up with Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellan.

Despite struggling with the critics and coming under fire from the Catholic Church The Da Vinci Code was one of the biggest movies of the year as it grossed over $758 million.

Hanks would reprise the role of Langdon three years later when Angels & Demons was adapted into a movie.

- Jack Nicholson - $60 million

The Joker remains one of Jack Nicholson's most iconic characters when Tim Burton brought Batman to the big screen back in 1989.

But the studio had to put their hand in their pocket to get Nicholson on board as he was paid $60 million.

Not only did Nicholson get a salary but he also got a cut of the film's $411 million box office gross which resulted in this huge pay packet.

But the movie was a huge success and Nicholson was nominated for a Bafta and a Golden Globe for his performance.

- Leonardo DiCaprio - $59 million

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the biggest names in Hollywood as he has gone from pretty boy to acting heavyweight over the last decade.

Much like Nicholson in Batman the Oscar nominated actor negotiated himself a very nice deal to take the lead role in Christopher Nolan's mind bending epic Inception.

It is believed that DiCaprio made around $59 million from the film thanks to a salary, back-end pay and DVD/rental cut deal.

DiCaprio was also the second highest paid actor of 2012 as he netted a cool $37 million.

- Tom Cruise - $75 million

Tom Cruise may not have received any huge one movie paychecks recently but that did not stop him from being the highest paid actor if 2012.

He netted a very nice $75 million with the likes of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and Oblivion doing the business at the box office.

The fourth Mission: Impossible grossed over $694 million at the box office and it was believed that Cruise did take a percentage of that gross.

Cruise was comfortably thirty million ahead of Leonardo DiCaprio who was the second highest paid actor of last year.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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