Avengers 2 Cast Angling For More Money With Robert Downey, Jr.

While Robert Downey, Jr. made at least $50 million on Marvel's The Avengers, it's pretty likely that he'll want even more to come back for The Avengers 2, especially now that his contract is up with Marvel. That could be a financial problem for Marvel Studios and parent company Disney, according to Yahoo! Movies, who say that members of the cast are hoping to line up behind Downey to renegotiate their deals. In a new article full of confidential sources, Deadline's Nikki Finke claims that while the stars are locked in for multiple films, the finer points of their sequel contracts aren't yet locked down and so the cast is finding that they have a great deal of leverage with the notoriously-frugal Marvel ahead of 2015's sequel. Here's one of the key bits:

The Avengers cast are ready to rumble with Marvel for the Avengers sequel slated for a May 2015 release. "Some received only $200,000 for Avengers and Downey got paid $50M. On what planet is that OK?" an insider tells me. CAA represents an overwhelming majority of the Marvel stars and is trying hard to keep the negotiations out of the public limelight and media headlines. But that may not be possible with some reps blaming the studio for 'scorched earth' tactics past and present. "Marvel has created so much animosity by strongarming and bullying on sequels already. It's counterproductive," one source tells me. Says another, "I'm sick of Kevin Feige telling me again and again how Marvel is 'reinventing the movie business.' It doesn't work like this. They're reinventing business, period." I've learned Marvel already has threatened to sue or recast when contracts and/or options are challenged. That prompted a few cast members to respond, "Go ahead." I hear Hemsworth especially wasn't anxious to go back into that arduous diet and training regimen and subsist primarily on egg whites for Thor: Dark World which hits theaters November 8th. I also understand that Scarlett Johanssen told castmates she's "not going to cut her quote" for Marvel's Avengers 2. The actress as butt-kicking operative Black Widow in The Avengers and Iron Man 2 is wrapping Captain America: The Winter Soldier and has a whopping 8 options total.

That's the sticking point, of course; while Marvel can pick up those options, anything beyond the first film isn't guaranteed in terms of the money and must be renegotiated. Marvel wants to weight the deals heavily toward the backend, minimizing their up-front cost and setting up a scenario where actors are essentially paid based on the movie's performance. Excepting The Avengers, that sets up certain stars for a much bigger payday than others, since (for example) the Iron Man films generate a lot more money at the box office than did the first Thor or Captain America films. Finke claims that the cast will, therefore, attempt to manipulate Downey's leverage to help the entire cast.

The issue going forward is how many of the Avengers stars and starlets are still bound by early agreements and long-term options which Marvel can continue to exploit individually. To counter, I've learned the Avengers cast are becoming united behind Robert Downey, Jr who is seen as the "leader" – like "a big brother" in the words of one rep - for all the younger actors in the ensemble. "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 s--t," one source explains. Another rep tells me, "I have four words for Marvel – 'F--- you, call Robert.'" As Downey himself has said publicly about his $50M-plus payday, "I'm what's known as a strategic cost," adding that Marvel is "so pissed" he earned that much. At this point also, no one is talking Iron Man 4 yet but it's hard not to anticipate.

Get your popcorn, folks--this could be more interesting than the movie itself...