Robert Downey Jr. Talks About Iron Man 2 and the Importance of The Avengers
Posted 02.05.10 by Ryan
Actor Robert Downey Jr. may have finished shooting Iron Man 2, but he knows his days of playing Tony Stark are far from over. With the possibility of a third Iron Man looming in the distance, Stark's next adventure will be in The Avengers, though Downey Jr. is hoping Marvel Entertainment won't rush the movie into theaters. In an interview with SFX, Downey Jr. told the British Magazine that The Avengers, which will combine all the heroes from Thor, First Avenger: Captain America, and both of the Iron Man movies, will be the hardest and most important of Marvel's upcoming slate.
It's the pinnacle, but only if it's done in the smartest and best and most creatively sound way possible. And I'm not saying we can't get there. I'm just saying it would be better to get there and not stay on schedule than to get everyone what they were hoping for in terms of a release date but not do it correctly. And by correctly, I mean my way.
Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau know what it's like to put together a Marvel movie in a short amount of time. When Marvel gave Favreau less than two years to release Iron Man 2, it almost prompted Favreau to quit. Instead, he re-joined Downey Jr. to tell a darker story about the iron-clad hero.
In Iron Man 2, Tony's psyche undergoes quite a rupture because he no longer has that kind of was trade to tweak on. What's a fella to do? He's thinking more about his legacy and about sustaining his own corporeal being, which has always been a problem, and now obviously comes much more to the fore because he essentially has a nuclear reactor as part of his anatomy! There's a dark side to Tony Stark because of his impending death. But there are also all the people and characters around him who bring him to life. There's this huge world that's so much fun, and it's great to go back there, erase the chalkboard with Jon [Favreau] and say, "Okay. This thing came out, people really liked it and it did great business, but what are we going to do now?"
Favreau has already said he will not direct The Avengers, which is due out in 2012. Time may have been the factor.
Next Showing: Iron Man 2 opens May 7