James Gunn was paid 20 times more than star David Corenswet for Superman

Lex Luthor actor Nicholas Hoult also got away with a better payday than Supes himself.
Text: Alex Hopley
Published 2025-07-17

Hollywood can be baffling sometimes, especially when it comes to money nowadays. In a world of ballooning budgets, it seems that salaries are also getting bigger, especially when it comes to big franchise directors.

As per a new report from Variety digging into all the ins and outs of Superman's "A-" box office debut, salary figures came up as a point of conversation. James Gunn was apparently paid $15 million for his time directing Superman, which is 20 times more than actors David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, who each earned $750,000 for their time as Superman and Lois Lane.

Nicholas Hoult, who plays Lex Luthor in the film, got off slightly better, earning a $2 million payday, but no one got off better than Gunn, who is also on a seven-figure salary as DC's top executive.

What do you think of this salary? Too much for a director or the right amount for such a big responsibility?

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