Apparently, Vin Diesel has announced on Facebook that a sequel to 'The Chronicles of Riddick' could shoot as early as this Summer. The only 'set-back' is that Diesel will have to accept a pay-cut.
He explained that in order to make a true R-rated film, he must work for scale upfront.
This means that he will receive minimum wage, as well as whatever profit share his agent is willing to negotiate. If the film's budget is over 1.3 million, which it is expected to be, the minimum wage for an actor is £1,200 a week. Diesel has been quick to complain that his new wage paled in comparison to his usual salary, £9 million per movie.
Critics are calling it a 'gamble' for the actor, who may not profit from the new movie at all, but those closest to him within the industry have urged him to focus on the success stories from those who have taken the same route in the past.
Vin Diesel posted on Facebook: 'Grrrrr.[David Twohy] the writer/director just landed in New York with the good news. We can start filming this summer. However, there is a catch...in order for us to make a true R-rated film, I must work for scale upfront.'
I don't know about you guys, but I personally could do without reading stories like these. His £1,200 a week salary PALED compared to his £9 million per movie basic? I can understand this is a huge drop for an established actor, but it pains me to see such advanced pay-cheques for actors, footballers and such when the rest of us have to struggle to work our way to the top.
It reminds me of a story by Ashley Cole, now famously known as Cashly Cole, who openly complained about being paid less than the rest of his team-mates. This was a big error. We all want to be paid the same as our colleagues, but in a world where a woman is paid considerably less for doing the same job as a man and a footballer can be paid millions for kicking a ball around when a nurse is paid a pittance in comparison, I'm afraid there is just no room for sympathy when it comes to these selfish, over-paid 'super-stars'.
Vin Diesel ought to feel ashamed of himself, not to mention down-right foolish, for believing he would receive good coverage by notifying the world of his 'pay-cut'. What did he aim to achieve, exactly? Those on his Facebook are either fellow show-business friends or world-wide fans. Did he really expect to gain sympathy from either? Did he think that by making a point of it he was putting himself across as self-less, happy to receive a cut in order to produce a good film? I admire his passion for the sequel, as few actors would subsequently halve their own pay-packets for the sake of a film, but I still disagree with his decision to broadcast it.
It's a slap in the face for those of us who can only ever dream of earning that much.
It's a slap in the face for me, particularly, who is having to work for free in order to get a step closer to my dream job. Who is having to cut back on my own hours at Pizza Express and be paid considerably less, just to get a sniff at the industry I am so desperate to work for, all the while paying out of my own pocket to travel to and from Richmond.
It's an insult to nurses who are working around the clock, after spending years specialising in their preferred subject, saving lives for just a percentage of what entertainers are paid.
It's a joke to anybody in public services who risk their own lives for the sake of ours, every single day.
It's all common knowledge that the system is wrong; that show-business will always pay more due to the consumer society that we are.
It's no revelation that the balance is wrong and unfair.
But then one day, you get one spoilt, over-paid super-star who is happy to whine about income to the rest of us and it will just unleash a kind of hatred you never knew you possessed.
Well, that's what happened to me anyway.
I did see a story that lightened my mood, though. Keanu Reeves, the protagonist in 'The Matrix', chose a profit-share payment for the sequels of the blockbuster hit. It apparently allowed for more of the budget to be invested into the special effects. That's what I call pure commitment and passion for a film. It was also alleged that after the film was made, Reeves donated £30.6 million of his £43 million pay-cheque to the special effects team and, as a result, each member earned an estimated £1 million for their involvement in the film.
That's the kind of story that I like to read.
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