Avengers 2 director, Joss Whedon, addresses an earlier report that stated he would earn $100 million to direct The Avengers sequel, as well as other Marvel services, and that the cast has been attempting to strong-arm Marvel for higher pay.
We released a report earlier this week concerning the cast of Avengers 2 which revealed that they were having a very difficult time negotiating “fair” deals to reprise their roles in The Avengers sequel. Within that report, it was stated by a Deadline source that the film’s director, Joss Whedon, had a contract in place for $100 million.
Whedon has apparently gotten whiff of this “rumor” and decided to let fans know on his own site, Whedonesque, that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Below you’ll find the written response from Whedon, which includes his often hilarious banter, as well as setting some of these facts straight. Check out his response to the $100 million rumor below:
Hi guys.
I was going to let it slide, but I’ve got this sour taste in my mouth. (Mmmm, lemonade!). Some facts are not facts. I’m not going to go into the whole thing, but jeepers, I’m not getting $100 mil on Avengers 2. If I were, I would come on this site and laugh and laugh and laugh. I’m not making Downey money. I’m making A LOT, which is exciting. I’m not pretending to be a poor farmer, an Everyman, an ANYman. But that number is nuts. A few other things about me that have been “reported” that people should take with a grain of salt:
That I throw wild Hollywood parties where everyone is naked and dancing and wild and I remember to serve enough snacks.
That I can get a movie greenlit by sighing and staring into the middle distance.
That I ate a unicorn and made it winter for three years.
That I “can write.”
Well, that’s a load off. Sorry to get so personal — the whole thing’s a bit tawdry. But honestly, it bugged me. I’m off for a nice juicy steak. There’s a place downtown that does it with rosemary butter, it tastes just like unico — like a steak.
BYE-ee! J.
First, let us commend Joss Whedon for commenting on this rumor personally. As it’s usually something that a director or an actor would never talk about publicly (or would at least have a publicist do the talking for them). While we appreciate that he wants to set the record straight, we’re almost certain that he’s going to be making quite a lot of money for The Avengers sequel – his current leverage in Hollywood is hulk-like.
What’s more interesting is the source that reported the $100 million deal didn’t say Whedon was getting the money for just Avengers 2, but said that he reportedly “has a “really rich deal” worth an astronomical $100M for a combination of product and services including several pics, consulting work, a put pilot at ABC, and many other elements that effectively take him off the marketplace for years and years.”
Let’s just say, Whedon is Marvel’s right-hand man right now. After pulling together the impossible film, and raking in $1.5 billion dollars for them, Marvel/Disney have basically hired him as a personal film consultant to keep all of Phase 2 in line. Now, is he being handed over a paycheck for $100 million?
Of course not, but there is no doubt in our mind that his $50-60 million dollar up front payment, in addition to his back-end percentage is guaranteed to result in him making $100 million or more. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, since he wrote and directed The Avengers and was able to bring in nearly a dozen superheroes into a film without it resulting in a catastrophic disaster. But, this also means that he is getting similar paychecks as Robert Downey Jr., something he says he isn’t.
Whedon is certainly worth the cash he’s earning, but we have to wonder, considering what we’ve heard him say about what the actors are being paid for the sequel and whether he would consider recasting some of them, if he’s looking out for what’s best for the film and the actors involved. Don’t get us wrong, we’re massive Whedon fans, even back to his days with Buffy, but no matter what anyone says – money like we’re seeing thrown around can change people. And we’re just hoping that Joss stays true to his unicorn-loving self as his bank balance continues to grow. Who knows, he could be telling us exactly how it is – we all can agree he is definitely one of a kind.
Do you think that Whedon is shying away from the fact that he’s more than likely to earn $100 million or more for his future deals with Marvel?