Shane Black to Direct Iron Man 3?
Posted 02.10.11 by Ryan
While the fanboy community may still be dizzy from director Jon Favreau's decision to direct Disney's
Magic Kingdom instead of Iron Man 3, the fact is, Marvel is going to have to find a replacement to start prepping the sequel for its 2013 release date. That replacement could be Shane Black, best known for writing the screenplays for Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout.
THR reports that Black has "powwowed with Marvel execs" about his take on a third Iron Man movie, and, while he is clearly in contention for the directing job, it is assumed he will write the screenplay as well.
Black doesn't have a long directing resume, having only helmed 2005's Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, which teamed him with actor Robert Downey Jr. and producer Susan Downey. Downey Jr. worked in collaboration with Favreau on the previousIron Man movies, and is likely hoping for a similar relationship on Iron Man 3. While Downey isn't the one making the decisions exactly, surely his opinion matters on the subject.
Black has been lining up comic book-related projects of late, claiming the director's chair for a live-action adaptation of Doc Savage last year after writing the initial draft of the screenplay, then, last month, Warner Bros. hired Black to direct an adaptation of the Japanese manga Death Note.
Iron Man 3 is set to open on May 3, 2013, a year after The Avengers is released. Before exiting the project, Favreau revealed that Iron Man 3 will be a difficult sequel to make, since it will essentially be a "continuation" of the other Marvel movies released before it, including not only The Avengers, but Thor, Captain America, not to mention the previous Iron Man movies.