It is a widely known fact that paydays in Hollywood are not what they used to be with even the most talented and popular actors earning a decent amount instead of big fat checks these days. And the disparity between wages tends to increase especially when it comes to huge superhero franchises such as Marvel and DC.
While a select few like Robert Downey Jr. ended up bagging around $20 million just as the base salary in Avengers: Endgame, his co-stars who are equally renowned for their superhero roles, including Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo, earned much less than the Iron Man star.
One such exception belongs to the DC Universe as well who is apparently bringing home a rather handsome figure and that too for a film that ultimately ended up getting canceled.
Michael Keaton was paid $2 million for Batgirl
Back when Batgirl was still in the stages of development before it got shelved, Michael Keaton had been reported to bestow the movie with his popular character of Bruce Wayne, aka, Batman.
But with Batgirl‘s cancellation and DC fans going haywire, a different announcement was made altogether according to which, Ben Affleck’s Batman instead of Keaton’s was said to make an appearance in the sequel of Aquman.
However, even when the film wasn’t able to see the light of day, Keaton still managed to gain more than he lost. A recent report from The Hollywood Reporter revealed the hefty figure the Batman Returns (1992) star had managed to receive evn after engaing in merely a week’s worth of work in Batgirl.
Keaton earned a total of $2 million for showing up to the film’s set for a brief time before it was scrapped out. “If you want to get paid, you have to put on a cape,” the American actor stated with reference to what has been described as “a glorified cameo.”
When will Michael Keaton be returning as Bruce Wayne?
Before Batgirl was called off, the American Assassin star had been reported to appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which is set to release in December 2023. But a change of plans later led to Affleck’s Batman taking over the cameo instead.
However, Keaton’s return as the powerful Bruce Wayne has been confirmed in Ezra Miller’s upcoming film in 2023, The Flash. And The Founder actor seems just as excited about is return as the fan-favorite superhero as the audience seems to be, as he admitted how the prospect of it all “seemed like fun” to him.
With him making a monumental amount of $2 million for his role in a movie that didn’t even make it to the cinemas, one can only wonder how much Keaton would be getting for films such as The Flash which are ready to hit the screens in no time.
The Flash is set to release on June 23, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
