Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman offered big bucks to reprise Batman and Wolverine roles

It definitely pays to play a superhero in Hollywood these days -- just ask cinematic Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., who reportedly received $50 million to play Tony Stark in “The Avengers” last year.

Now, it sounds like two more actors famous for playing big screen heroes could be set for equally obscene paydays – should they choose to reprise their respective comic book movie roles, of course.

Although he’s repeatedly said he through playing Batman, “Dark Knight” trilogy star Christian Bale is allegedly being courted by studio Warner Bros. to don the cape and cowl once again for the upcoming “Superman vs. Batman” film. The studio is rumoured to be offering the English actor as much as $50 million to do so – a comparatively small fee when you consider that Bale’s Batman films earned nearly $2.4 billion at the box office. It’s one of the many tidbits from author Vince Russel’s eBook “Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story of Christian Bale and His Dark Knight Dilemma,” which also claims that Bale is under “extraordinary pressure” to reprise the Batman role in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” follow up. Actors like Josh Brolin and Orlando Bloom are said to be in the mix for the part of Bruce Wayne, but WB would likely prefer to get their "Dark Knight Rises" star back.

But Bale isn’t the only actor who could be looking forward to a massive paycheque if he suits up as a superhero again. Aussie leading man Hugh Jackman is rumoured to be up for a ridiculous $100 million payday if he signs on to play mutant Wolverine in four more movies. It’s a crazy number (one that comes courtesy of The National Enquirer, so take it with a grain of salt), but given how well the “X-Men” series has performed for 20^th Century Fox – thanks mostly to the popularity of Jackman’s character – the company would be stupid not to try to keep the actor around. Jackman has played Logan/Wolverine six times since 2000’s “X-Men,” most recently in “The Wolverine,” and he’s set to reprise the role once again in the upcoming series prequel/sequel “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” The 44-year-old actor is rumoured to be conflicted about continuing to play the part that made him famous.

Audiences will pay good money to see Bale and Jackman play these comic book characters again -- the box office numbers don’t lie. But maybe it's time for other actors to take on these iconic roles. After all, Bale and Jackman aren't getting any younger and have played Batman and Wolverine on the big screen for more than two decades combined.

Much like James Bond, countless actors have played Batman/Bruce Wayne over the years, so while replacing Bale for "Superman vs. Batman" would be disappointing for some fans it still wouldn't really be that much a departure. On the other hand, Jackman is the only actor who's ever played a live-action version of Wolverine, and he's inexorably tied to the role. Moviegoers might have a harder time dealing with a new Wolverine than they would with a new Batman.

Both actors have made these superhero roles their own, and it would be a thrill for fans to see Bale and Jackman keep playing these parts for the foreseeable future. Surely that much money is enough of an incentive to do so. Come on, guys!

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" hits theatres on May 24, 2014, while the untitled "Superman vs. Batman" film is set for release in summer 2015.