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Behind Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers’ Mega ‘Avengers’ Paydays
Marvel is paying $80 million for the Russos to direct two 'Avengers' movies and 'significantly more' for Robert Downey Jr. to tackle Doctor Doom.
For Downey, who helped catapult Marvel into a money-printing machine thanks to his turn as Tony Stark in the first “Iron Man” film in 2008, his deal also is filled with perks that include private jet travel, dedicated security and a whole “trailer encampment” for the newly minted Oscar winner. Adding to the angst on the Burbank lot, the entire future “Avengers” arc that centered on villain Kang had to be scrapped amid actor Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles. Variety previously reported in a cover story on the studio’s woes that Marvel was considering pivoting from Kang to Doctor Doom as Majors’ problems mounted and that chief Kevin Feige was keen to bring back Downey, who will segue from his Broadway debut in Ayad Akhtar’s “mcneal” in the fall to preproduction on “Avengers” in the new year.
Or read this on Variety