Nicholas Hoult reportedly commanded the highest salary of the main Superman cast despite not playing the Man of Steel.
According to a report published by Puck News, the newly-blond Hoult, 35, earned $2 million to portray notorious DC Comics super-villain Lex Luthor in writer-director James Gunn’s highly anticipated reboot of the Superman film series. By comparison, Hoult’s costars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan — who played Clark Kent (a.k.a. Superman) and Lois Lane — only earned $750,000 each.
Hoult’s higher salary is likely due to his established track record in the comic book movie genre, having played Dr. Hank McCoy / Beast in four X-Men movies for 20th Century Fox prior to the company’s buyout by Disney. The British actor also has an impressive Hollywood track record with two Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy nod on his resume.
Us Weekly reached out to Warner Bros for comment.
It’s not a bird or a plane — it’s the Superman trailer. The first teaser for director James Gunn‘s new iteration of the beloved comic book character dropped onThursday, December 19. Twisters star David Corenswet takes on the cape as Superman (a.k.a. Clark Kent) while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel alum Rachel Brosnahan portrays his coworker-turned-true-love, […]
Brosnahan, 34, comes to Superman as an established TV star, having won an Emmy award and two Golden Globes for playing the title character on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She earned rave reviews for her leading performance in 2020 indie hit I’m Your Woman and notably had a supporting role in Mark Wahlberg’s 2016 thriller Patriots Day. Brosnahan also lent her voice to Will Smith and Tom Holland’s star-studded 2019 animated spy comedy Spies in Disguise.
Corenswet, 32, also comes from a TV background, having worked with American Horror Story cocreator Ryan Murphy on the producer’s non-horror projects for Netflix, The Politician and Hollywood. Corenswet has since landed supporting roles in disaster epic Twisters and Hulu’s streaming rom-com The Greatest Hits, which were both released in 2024.
Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet in ‘Superman’ Courtesy Jessica Miglio / Warner Bros; Courtesy Everett Collection
There is precedence for the actor playing Superman not earning a top salary. Christopher Reeve’s $250,000 paycheck for 1978’s Superman was commensurate with his then-relatively low profile, as he was best known for starring in CBS daytime soap opera Love of Life. His costar Gene Hackman — who, like Hoult, played Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor — earned $2 million dollars (which would be closer to $10 million now, when adjusted for inflation) and received higher billing than Reeve.
However, the true winner of the salary negotiations for 1978’s Superman was Marlon Brando even though he only had around 10 minutes of screen time as Clark Kent’s father, Jor-El. According to Entertainment Weekly. Brando was paid $3.7 million (now around $18 million) for 12 days work on Superman, plus he received 11.75 percent of the film’s gross profits. In total, Brando walked away with $19 million (or more than $94 million now) for putting in minimal work on the pioneering superhero movie.
Maria Schell and Marlon Brando in ‘Superman.’ Courtesy Warner Brothers; Courtesy Everett Collection
Regardless of salary, Corenswet seems to be relishing in the limelight that comes with playing Superman. He was recently joined by his wife, Julia Best Warner, for their red carpet debut at Superman’s world premiere at Hollywood’s historic TCL Chinese Theatre.
Corenswet previously told People in June 2025 that his casting as Superman came around the same time that Best Warner learned she was pregnant with the couple’s first child. (They welcomed their little one, whose name they have kept private, in early 2024.)
After David Corenswet was cast as Clark Kent in Superman, fans couldn’t help but point out how much he resembled the beloved superhero, who has been around for generations. Director James Gunn first confirmed reports that Corenswet had been cast opposite Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane in June 2023. “Accurate! (They are not only both […]
“She told me that she was pregnant two days after I found out I was going to screen test for Superman,” he confirmed. “For the first several months of her pregnancy, as is sort of protocol, we weren’t telling anybody. We had these two quite huge secrets that we just had between the two of us. And that was intense.”
Superman is now playing in theaters worldwide.
