Jason Momoa negotiated his contract to double his Aquaman salary for the sequel.
Momoa stars as the titular superhero of the DC Comics film, which was released in 2018. A forthcoming sequel – titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – is scheduled for release in March next year.
In an extensive new report, Variety documented the salaries that famous actors such as Momoa, Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie commanded for various TV and movie roles.
The article revealed that Momoa “renegotiated his pact to essentially double his salary” for the superhero sequel.
As a result of his negotiations, the 42-year-old is set to make $15m (£12.6m) for his forthcoming role.
According to the publication, the same is true for Jaoquin Phoenix who will quadruple his earnings should DC Comics want him to star in a sequel to The Joker.
Phoenix famously played the titular character in 2019’s Joker, for which he received $4.5m (£3.84m). The role also earned Phoenix an Oscar.
As per Variety, Phoenix is asking for $20m (£17m) should Warner Bros want him to star in a sequel.
Aquaman 2 has been the subject of much controversy, with many fans petitioning for the film to remove Amber Heard (who plays Mera in the franchise) as a result of the highly publicised defamation trial brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Last month, a jury found that Heard had defamed Depp on all three counts and awarded him $10m (£8m) in compensatory damages and $5m (£4m) in punitive damages.
Heard was awarded $2m (£1.6m) in compensatory damages, but no punitive damages.
In July 2021, Aquaman 2 producer Peter Safran commented on the growing appeals to remove Heard from the movie. “I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure,” Safran told Deadline of the decision to retain Heard for the sequel.
He continued: “We felt that if it’s James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.”
