Walking Away And Who Comes To Play: Andy Burns On What’s Next For Iron Man On The Big Screen

How do you know when it’s the right time to walk away from something? If you’re anything like me, it’s not always crystal clear. Heck, me and the same girl broke up time after time through university. You’d think we’d have known better. And maybe we did.

Now that I’m older and a working lad, I’ve had to walk away from other things, like jobs. I’ve walked away from a few now, some because I wanted new challenges, other because of financial reasons. And while I’ve had moments where I’ve wondered what would have happened if I’d have stuck around here or there for a little longer, I always come to the same conclusion that, even if I have an occasional regret, I always walked away at the right time.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=b0100-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0021L8V1Q&fc1=EFE6E6&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=BF0F20&bc1=100303&bg1=100303&f=ifrI’m guessing that’s probably how director Jon Favreau is feeling today, less than 48 hours after the news that he’s walked away from Marvel Studios and the Iron Man franchise, the film series he guided for two hugely successful outings and that helped make Robert Downey Jr. a bankable movie star. While studio head Kevin Fiege is really the gatekeeper to the Marvel Universe in Hollywood, make no mistake that Jon Favreau has been a major player in bringing beloved comic characters like Tony Stark and Nick Fury to life.

Why now? How did Jon Favreau know it was time to go?

With the success of Iron Man and its sequel, Favreau’s become a highly respected and in-demand player. He’s got some big films on the horizon, including next summer’s Cowboys And Aliens and Magic Kingdom for Disney, so it seems as though this was the perfect moment for the director to move on. There’s also been talk that Favreau was uncertain of how Tony Stark’s tech world will co-exist with the supernatural and myth based world of Asgard, the setting for 2011’s Thor film. So, unlike Sam Raimi, who saw Spider-Man through a trilogy, or Peter Jackson, who made his bones on three trips to Middle-Earth, Favreau has gone the way of Bryan Singer, who left two films into the X-Men franchise. But here’s the thing – Iron Man 3 is on the docket for summer 2013, which means somebody is going to have to step into Favreau’s shoes. And with the Joss Whedon-directed Avengers big screen debut in 2012, there will be even more pressure on Tony Stark’s third solo outing to deliver the goods.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=b0100-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003VS0CYC&fc1=EFE6E6&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=BF0F20&bc1=100303&bg1=100303&f=ifrSo who do you go with? A young up and comer that Marvel can get for cheap (which is a bit par for the course with them)? A veteran with a track record who can handle the pressure and the egos of stars like Downey, Gwyneth, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson? I’ve seen lots of names thrown about in the last few days, including the off the wall suggestion of Paul Verhoeven, the auteur behind Robocop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers. However, if I had my pick, I’d go with a director who has already spent time in the Marvel U and who had some recent blockbuster success outside of it as well.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=b0100-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001DHXT1G&fc1=EFE6E6&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=BF0F20&bc1=100303&bg1=100303&f=ifrWhile Louis Lettiere may not be a household name, he did make megamoney with his remake of Clash Of The Titans. Before that, he worked with Edward Norton on The Incredible Hulk, a film that in my humble opinion is the strongest from Marvel Studios so far. Lettiere was keen on working on The Avengers before it went to Joss Whedon, so clearly he clearly wants to return to that world again. He’ll also come cheaper than a bigger name, which will be music to Marvel’s ears.

It may be some time before we find out who will guide the man behind the armour. In the meantime, a tip of the hat to Jon Favreau for helping bring Iron Man to the big screen.