Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman have been offered big money to reprise their roles as Batman and Wolverine

These days, playing a superhero in Hollywood is pretty lucrative. Just ask Robert Downey Jr., the movie’s Iron Man, who reportedly got paid $50 million to play Tony Stark in “The Avengers” last year.

Now it seems that two other actors famous for playing heroes on the silver screen could be earning similarly obscene salaries – if they decide to reprise their respective roles in comic book movies, that is.

Despite repeatedly stating that he would no longer play Batman, “Dark Knight” trilogy star Christian Bale is reportedly being courted by Warner Bros. to don the cape and cowl again for the upcoming “Superman vs. Batman” film. The studio has reportedly offered the English actor up to $50 million to do so — a relatively small sum considering that Bale’s Batman films have grossed nearly $2.4 billion at the box office. That’s one of several insights from author Vince Russell’s e-book “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 role of Batman in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” sequel. Actors like Josh Brolin and Orlando Bloom are reportedly in the running for the role of Bruce Wayne, but WB would likely prefer to reclaim its “Dark Knight Rises” star.

But Bale isn’t the only actor who could be looking to cash in on a big paycheck if he takes on the role of a superhero again. Australian actor Hugh Jackman is rumored to be making a ridiculous $100 million if he signs on to play the mutant Wolverine in four more films. It’s a crazy number (and it comes to us from the National Enquirer, so take it with a grain of salt), but given how well the “X-Men” series has done over the past 20 years, it’s unlikely the company will be able to pull it off.^th Century Fox – thanks in part to the popularity of Jackman’s character – would be foolish not to try to keep the actor. 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 more in the upcoming prequel/sequel “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” The 44-year-old actor is reportedly conflicted about continuing the role that made him famous.

Audiences are willing to pay a lot 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, having played Batman and Wolverine on the silver screen for over two decades between them.

Much like James Bond, there have been plenty of actors who have played Batman/Bruce Wayne over the years, so while replacing Bale in “Superman vs. Batman” would be disappointing to some fans, it wouldn’t be a huge change. On the other hand, Jackman is the only actor to ever play a live-action version of Wolverine, and he’s inexorably tied to the role. Moviegoers may have a harder time accepting a new Wolverine than a new Batman.

Both actors have made their own superhero roles, and fans would be thrilled to see Bale and Jackman continue to play these roles in the near future. Surely such a sum of money is enough motivation to do so. Come on, guys!

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” will be released in theaters on May 24, 2014, while the untitled “Superman vs. Batman” film is scheduled for release in summer 2015.