Dwayne Johnson is proving he is as strong as it gets, with his name being revealed by Forbes to be atop the Highest Paid Actors list. The Jumanji actor broke through in the 2010s after a successful wrestling career and went on to star in several international blockbusters.
His credits include Skyscraper, Fast and Furious 6-8, Hobbs and Shaw, Rampage and Moana. The Rock managed by his ex wife Danny Garcia, has been crowned the highest paid actor thanks in part to his upcoming Netflix film Red Notice for which he grabbed a hefty $23.5 million dollar check.
The highest paid actors of 2020:
1. Dwayne Johnson – $87.5 M
2. Ryan Reynolds – $71.5 M
3. Mark W – $58 M
4. Ben Affleck – $55 M
5. Vin Diesel – $54 M
6. Akshay Kumar – $48.5 M
7. Lin-Manuel M – $45.5 M
8. Will Smith – $44.5 M
9. Adam Sandler – $41 M
10. Jackie Chan – $40 M pic.twitter.com/a58pTtynjw— Film Updates Back-Up (@TheFilmUpdates) August 11, 2020
It is also interesting to note that the second highest paid actor, Ryan Reynolds is also attached to the same project and made more than $20 million on Red Notice and Six Underground with Netflix. In fact several actors in the top ten have done well in collaborating with Netflix including Mark Wahlberg (Spenser Confidential) and Adam Sandler (Murder Mystery, among his cabal of other projects for the streamer).
Other names include Will Smith who has been paid a handsome sum for his upcoming Williams sisters film about their father, and Bollywood star Akshay Kumar thanks to some smart endorsement deals. The fact that most of the highest earning actors have worked for Netflix shows that it isn’t just box office numbers deciding who is the big shot in Hollywood anymore, based on Forbes’ list, Netflix is the new kingmaker in town.
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THEY NEEDED A HERO.
INSTEAD THEY GOT ME⚡️🖤
Excited for the first-ever global celebration of the DC Multiverse – #DCFanDome!
This one’s just for you – THE FANS AROUND THE WORLD!
Stay healthy, my friends, and I’ll see you all on August 22nd! 🥃
-The Man In Black#BlackAdam pic.twitter.com/m3S4tySYT8— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 7, 2020
Johnson was named the highest paid actor last year as well. It is interesting to note that unlike most actors and actresses that normally make up this list, his top billing isn’t the result of some superhero movie.
Scarlet Johanssen and Robert Downey Junior are examples of A list actors who have frequently topped the highest paid actors list simply because they earn significantly more as a result of their superhero films. Now The Rock is securing his placement atop the highest paid actors spot by venturing into superhero film-making by starring as the lead in the upcoming superhero movie Black Adam.
Black Adam by Warner Bros is an upcoming DC movie set in the same world as Superman and Shazam. Details about the film are scarce but more are expected to be announced this August 22nd with DC’s virtual fan convention: DC FanDome. To All The Boys I’ve Loved actor Noah Centenio has been confirmed to join the movie as the hero Atom Smasher and more casting news is imminent.
DC’s Black Adam character is often depicted as an antihero, at odds with DC superhero Shazam and Johnson is expected to appear in the Shazam sequel as well in some capacity.
In addition, The Rock’s Disney movie Jungle Cruise, alongside Emily Blunt will premiere next year. Also in the pipeline, is the aforementioned Ryan Reynolds co-starrer Netflix movie Red Notice. The movie also has Gal Gadot who is playing an art thief that The Rock’s INTERPOL agent character must bring down.
Given the intense interest in Dwayne Johnson’s projects, over the last decade it makes sense why studios and streaming services are investing heavily in the actor.