It seems like Jennifer Lawrence is now officially a major movie star.
Not just because Lawrence has headlined one of the biggest movies of the year and can probably pick any available A-List role she wants, but because she’s currently negotiating for $10 million dollars to play Katniss in Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Yes, major A-listers have gotten $20 million a film, Tom Hanks received a staggering $50 million for Angels and Demons, but women in Hollywood still have a ways to go.
While it’s not at all clear whether money was a factor in writer / director Gary Ross leaving The Hunger Games, Lawrence will in all likelihood get her price, because they obviously can’t make the movie without her, and it’s only about a month away from shooting.
The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Lawrence got $500,000 for the first Games and bonuses based on the box office. She’s signed up for four Games movies, Mockingjay will be in two parts, and the Reporter tells us the $10 million deal is “a combination of salary, bonuses and escalators.” Lawrence also stands to make even more money depending on how much cash the movie generates at the box office.
It’s actually pretty amazing how much money you can make in Hollywood if you’re on top of the heap, especially when they need you to come back for a sequel. As the Reporter also notes, Robert Downey Jr. is likely to pull in $50 million or more from The Avengers because he’s got a piece of all the Iron Man movies.
As we’ve seen in bands, very rarely do lead singer transplants work, and trying to replace a star in a movie can be pretty tricky business too, especially with something as wildly popular as say The Hunger Games or Twilight, where teenage girls all over the world would probably revolt en masse.
Yes, Catching Fire may suffer without the writing and directing talents of Gary Ross, (although Francis Lawrence, the director of I Am Legend is not a bad idea for a replacement), but of course you’ve got to have the original Katniss for Catching Fire, which is still slated to hit theaters on November 22, 2013.
