I have to admit, I never really thought Iron Man would actually become a movie, but when Jon Favreau was hired to direct, things looked more solid. Now Robert Downey, Jr. has been hired to play Stark, and so the promised 2008 release looks pretty certain.
Downey isn’t necessarily the first name that would pop into someone’s head, but here’s some things on his side.
1) I actually like the fact that he’s older. Stark is a man of the world, and shouldn’t really be a youngster like Spider-Man or even Bale’s Batman.
2) Downey, of course, can actually act.
3) You don’t need a big name in a superhero movie. Tom Cruise’s name has been attatched to the project forever, but (his current career woes aside), why pay a guy $20 dollars when you can get an actor for half that and put the rest of the money on the screen? In superhero movies the character is the star, not the actor.
4) Downey’s signature drug problems, assuming they are actually under control at this time, play into Iron Man’s backstory. Back in the ’80s, Iron Man was the first superhero to be a full-fledged alcoholic. Presumably they’ll be running with this thread now.
Anyway, while Iron Man’s not my favorite character, he is a classic Marvel guy, so here’s luck to them. Meanwhile, they supposedly are still working on that live-action Avengers movie. I can’t imagine it actually happening in a million years, but it’s hard to think of anything much cooler than making Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk (the upcoming sequel) and Thor movies, and then bringing all three actors playing them together for an Avengers movie. It would be just like the comics.
In other superhero news, Spike TV’s Blade series will not be brought back, but the ratings for the first episode of NBC’s Heroes were very strong, easily whipping CBS’s sitcom duo, Two and a Half Men and Old Christine. Of course, that doesn’t mean viewers will keep watching it, but it’s a good start.
