Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reportedly lands a gargantuan paycheck for his upcoming film, Red One, which is set for release this holiday season
Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming Santa action film, Red One, will apparently secure him a tremendous amount of green as a new report reveals how much money he will receive for his work.
According to Puck’s Matthew Belloni, Red One will pocket Johnson a staggering $50 million. The reported figure is not only the most money Johnson has made for a film by a considerable margin, but it’s also reportedly the biggest payday for any actor paid for a single role. The previous mark for upfront payments for a single role belongs to both former Marvel Cinematic Universe star Robert Downey Jr. for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and Oscar-winning actor Will Smith for 2021’s King Richard. Downey and Smith each reportedly made $40 million for their respective features.
Johnson is often recognized as one of the biggest earners in Hollywood history, with his movies grossing a combined $12.5 billion at the international box office. Known for his roles in the Fast & Furious and Jumanji franchises, as well as Black Adam during its short-lived run in the DC Extended Universe, Johnson previously earned his highest paycheck with his roles in Jumanji: The Next Level and Red Notice, which each saw him pocket $23.5 million, according to Forbes. Johnson has also earned over $20 million for his appearances in Black Adam ($22.5 million), Jungle Cruise ($22 million) and the Fast & Furious spinoff film, Hobbs & Shaw ($20 million).
Red One sees Johnson star as Callum Drift for the Jake Kasdan-helmed title. The stacked cast also includes Captain America film franchise star Chris Evans (Jack O’Malley), Shazam! Fury of the Gods‘ Lucy Liu and J.K. Simmons, best known for his features in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movie trilogy and, most recently, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The Amazon Studios-produced action-adventure is seen as the beginning of a potential franchise that reimagines holiday mythology.
Little is known about the plot for Red One, which is based on an original screenplay from Hiram Garcia, who Johnson has worked with on several Hollywood projects. Filming for Red One began last October in Atlanta and concluded this past February, as confirmed by Johnson.
Meanwhile, Johnson recently announced his return to the Fast & Furious franchise following his surprise cameo in Fast X, confirming he long settled his feud with co-star Vin Diesel. Johnson will star in a spinoff film based on his lawman character Luke Hobbs, with the film set between Fast X and Fast X: Part 2.
Red One premieres on Amazon Prime Video this holiday season.