Tim Miller Reveals the Shockingly Low Salary He Received for 'Deadpool' [Exclusive]

3 weeks ago 13

Deadpool

Now, we hear the name Deadpool and we think "guaranteed hit" and "moneymaker" — but that wasn't always the case. In fact, the road to bringing The Merc with a Mouth to the big screen was anything but conventional, and as it turns out, neither was the paycheck for the film’s director, Tim Miller. During a panel at CCXP in São Paulo, Brazil alongside Robert Kirkman and Dave Wilson, to discuss his latest series Secret Level, with Collider's Steve Weintraub moderating, Miller revealed just how little he was paid for helming the 2016 blockbuster. Despite the movie’s massive success and cultural impact, Miller told the audience that his salary for directing was a mere $225,000 — a shockingly low figure for a film that went on to gross over $782 million worldwide. Now, yes, we can apply context and say we'd all love to be paid that, but with regard to this, it really is a surprise.

Weintraub noted that it was truly a battle to make the movie, and asked Miller what it was like to see the scrappy underdog become the movie that Disney talked about in stockholder meetings. Miller admitted that being one of the creators of a genuine pop culture phenom was a source of immense satisfaction:

"You know what I feel? Nothing but pride. I mean, I feel like every time I walk down the aisles out there on the floor of CCXP and I see all these Deadpool figurines, I think they wouldn't be here if we hadn't made that film. And I feel uniquely fortunate that I could be part of it. Then, then my second thought is, I wish my director deals had a piece of the merchandising so that I could get some money from all of that. "

"You guys might not know, but it's not really a profitable thing to be a first-time director in Hollywood, and I'll tell you exactly," Miller continued. "I got $225,000 to direct Deadpool. I know it sounds like a lot of money, but for two years of work, that's not a ton of money. Not that I'm not grateful, I'm fucking grateful, that's the way it is because you're supposed to when you're a first-time director. My agent said 'Dude, you make more on an episode of The Walking Dead!'

"I think a lot of people think that everyone's getting paid millions and millions in Hollywood. It's just not the case, not always. I don't want to sound like I wasn't grateful because I had worked, I was 50 when I got a chance to direct Deadpool, and I really thought I wasn't going to get a chance to direct a movie even though I'd wanted to my whole life. "

Deadpool was an underdog story both on and off-screen for years, with star Ryan Reynolds fighting to bring Wade Wilson to life properly, after a disastrous first appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. When the project finally got the green light, it was given a relatively modest $58 million budget, which was also referenced in the movie when Deadpool remarked they couldn't afford any of the real X-Men for the movie. For comparison, most superhero movies at the time cost upwards of $150 million or more.

What Has Tim Miller Made Since 'Deadpool'?

In the years since Deadpool was released, Miller — who was making his feature film directing debut on the project — has gone on to direct Terminator: Dark Fate, while he was also an uncredited director of reshoots on Lionsgate's Borderlands. Miller has also served as an executive producer on all three Sonic the Hedgehog movies. Miller received an Academy Award nomination for his animated short film, Gopher Broke, in 2005. On the small screen, he is the creator of Love, Death & Robots and has directed episodes of the series. Miller also started his career as a visual effects artist and designed the title sequences of 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and 2013's Thor: The Dark World. Secret Level is now streaming on Prime Video in full.

Deadpool is now streaming on Disney+ alongside Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. Stay tuned to Collider for more coverage from the floor at CCXP in Brazil.