Sony‘s new studio head, Tom Rothman, may be fiscally responsible, but that doesn’t mean he won’t spend money where it makes sense. While there were rumblings that he was not cool with the potential expense of the developing sci-fi romance "Passengers," starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, he’s gotten over it.
THR reports that Sony has given the thumbs up to the movie that will be directed by "The Imitation Game" helmer Morten Tyldum. And those salaries that were causing a problem? No more. Lawrence will get a staggering $20 million, against 30% of the film’s profit if it breaks even, which puts her in the upper echelon of A-list stars. Meanwhile, Pratt, who headed up the record breaking "Jurassic World," will bag $12 million, a boost from the $10 million he was previously slated to get. Damn.
READ MORE: Jennifer Lawrence And Chris Pratt Are ‘Passengers’ In Sci-Fi Romance
The Jon Spaihts ("Prometheus") penned movie takes place on an interstellar voyage to a distant planet. When one passenger wakes up from cryogenic sleep 90 years early, he makes the decision to awaken a female passenger, leading to a romance. The budget is now floating around $120 million, after tax incentives, but like most big studios these days, a lot of that money comes from outside investors, with Village Roadshow and LStar picking up 75% of the tab. So the risk for Rothman is diminished if the movie winds up tanking hard, which, on paper at least, doesn’t seem likely to happen.
Filming begins in July, so expect this one to orbit cinemas next year.