Pedro Pascal's Massive The Last Of Us Salary Revealed
We can hear the clicking of the Infected, as Craig Mazin's live-action adaptation of The Last of Us, crawls into view. The idea of turning Naughty Dog's record-breaking survival horror into a movie first surfaced in 2014, and while that was eventually canned, the project evolved into a live-action series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Filling the roles of Ellie and Joel was the talk of tinsel town, and while many imagined the likes of Logan's Dafne Keen alongside Game of Thrones' Nikolaj-Coster Waldau, fellow Thrones alumni Pascal and Ramsey are taking the lead. Much like Henry Cavill's starring role as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's The Witcher, Pascal is set to earn a pretty penny, but what's his bank balance looking like?
How much is Pedro Pascal being paid for The Last of Us?
Although it's not confirmed by the man himself (why would it?), Variety has an in-depth analysis of what TV's biggest movers and shakers are earning right now. While television was once seen as the outcast sibling of cinema, anyone who is anyone is leaving the silver screen behind for a move to your teleboxes.
The site goes through what Hollywood A-listers can earn for their stint on the small screen, with Pascal apparently earning $600k per episode for The Last of Us' 10-episode season. Considering the series is hopeful for a multi-season order, we're sure to see that climb if The Last of Us really is the next Game of Thrones.
All in all, it's not bad for a star who largely found his fame playing the doomed Oberyn Martell in HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's fantasy world. Despite only appearing in seven episodes, Pascal's character is remembered for THAT iconic death scene. Since then, he's gone on to appear in everything from Kingsman: The Golden Circle to Wonder Woman 1984.
Elsewhere, Pascal has joined the acclaimed ranks of the galaxy far, far away, as the titular Mandalorian in Disney's Star Wars series of the same name. All of the above means Pascal's turn in The Last of Us sees him edge above the competition. Considering Henry Cavill makes $400k per episode of The Witcher, it's clear to see what The Last of Us means to fans and HBO alike.
What are the other big stars earning for their shows?
We need to point out that Pascal could land a cool $6 million for The Last of Us Season 1, Cavill's current tie with The Witcher was for two seasons (one of eight episodes and one of 10), so he should walk away with $6.5 million pre-tax.
Variety goes on to explain that while we used to hear about the elusive $1 million club, that's now more like the $2 million. Streaming services like Amazon, Netflix, and HBO Max are duking it out at the top, meaning you'll have to splash out to get the talent you want.
In the report, it's claimed that the likes of Kate Winslett and Michelle Pfeiffer can command $650k/$600k Mare of Eastown and The First Lady, while the Sex and the City girls are set to earn up to $750k an episode for And Just Like That.
All of the above pale in comparison to the might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chris Pratt is tipped to bag $1.4 million per episode for The Terminal List, while Robert Downey Jr. is rumoured to earn an eye-watering $2 million an episode for HBO's The Sympathizer.
Either way, it looks like the HBO backlot could be the place to be if you're at the top of Tinseltown. If you'll excuse us, we're just off to update our headshots. To be honest, we'd pay Pascal $600k an episode just to make sure he keeps Joel's beard.
Check out our The Last of Us guides here:
The Last of Us 3 release date | The Last of US TV release date
