Nicholas Hoult Made More on ‘Superman’ Than Both Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet Combined

The new Superman movie just hit theaters, and while people are talking about the action and the characters, there’s another big topic going around: the salaries of the cast.

Nicholas Hoult, who plays Lex Luthor, got the biggest paycheck. He was paid $2 million for the role, according to Puck News. That’s more than what David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan made combined. Corenswet, who plays Superman, and Brosnahan, who plays Lois Lane, each earned $750,000. Their contracts also include extra bonuses if the movie makes good money at the box office.

This isn’t really surprising. Corenswet is pretty new to big movies, and while Brosnahan is known for her work on TV, she hasn’t had a big film role until now. Hoult, on the other hand, has been in a bunch of major movies, so his higher salary makes sense.

Director James Gunn went for a different kind of cast with this film. At the Hollywood premiere on July 7 at the Chinese Theatre, about 20 actors were introduced, but none of them are huge movie stars yet. Gunn actually liked it that way.

In an interview with CNN, he said, “I think I’m really good at finding people who become huge stars,” and added, “There’s a bit of an ego in that.” He mentioned how he helped make Chris Pratt a star with Guardians of the Galaxy.

This casting style also helped Warner Bros. save money. CEO David Zaslav looked very happy at the premiere, and that was even before the good reviews started coming in. Critics have responded well to the film so far, and there’s a lot of excitement about how it will perform during its opening weekend.

Things were done differently back in 2013 when Man of Steel was released. Henry Cavill was a newcomer back then, but he starred alongside expensive, well-known actors like Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe. That movie had a much higher price tag when it came to casting.

Now, this 2025 version of Superman is starting a new chapter for DC movies. It’s the first official film in James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe. The story follows Superman trying to protect the world while Lex Luthor tries to turn the public against him.

Filming began in February 2024 and took place in places like Norway, Georgia, and Ohio. Most of the scenes were shot at Trilith Studios in Atlanta. Production wrapped up in July 2024, just a year before the movie’s release.

Hoult’s paycheck for the movie was first reported by Puck News.

Gunn’s version of Superman was inspired by the All-Star Superman comics, written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Frank Quitely. The movie is now in theaters, and fans are waiting to see if Gunn’s plan, hiring rising stars instead of big names, will lead to a hit at the box office.

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