Jon Favreau to Direct Iron Man
Source: The Hollywood Reporter April 28, 2006
Marvel Studios has hired Jon Favreau to develop and direct the big-screen adaptation of Iron Man and has attracted an impressive roster of writers to help bring some of its high-profile characters to the big screen, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Favreau will direct a feature version of Marvel's armored hero and develop the script with the writing team of Arthur Marcum and Matt Holloway ("Convoy"). The project originally was set up at New Line with Nick Cassavetes directing.
Writer-director-actor Favreau previously helmed "Zathura: A Space Adventure." He was attached to direct "John Carter of Mars" for Paramount, but the 11th "Star Trek" movie, from J.J. Abrams and due out in 2008, put a stop to that project for now.
Iron Man will be Favreau's next movie, and he hopes to go behind the camera early next year.
Among Marvel's other projects is a sequel to 2003's Hulk, being written by Zak Penn, whose credits include X2: X-Men United and upcoming X-Men: The Last Stand.
Ant Man is being adapted by "Shaun of the Dead" co-writer/director Edgar Wright. Wright will direct and co-write with scribe partner Joe Cornish. Edgar also will co-produce with his Big Talk Productions partner Nira Park.
Captain America is being adapted by David Self (Road to Perdition), who is no stranger to Marvel, having worked on adaptations of Namor, the Sub-Mariner for Universal, and Deathlok for Paramount.
Nick Fury is Marvel's hero who is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division), a spy agency. Andrew Marlow, whose credits include "Air Force One," "End of Days" and "Hollow Man," is writing.
Thor follows the adventures of the legendary Norse thunder deity and is being written by Mark Protosevich ("Poseidon"). Protosevich said "the movie will take place in the world of myth and legend but will not betray some of the thematic elements of the comics that made them so appealing, like the idea of a god growing to truly understand man."
Variety adds that the budgets on the films are expected to be between $50 million and $165 million. They will all be distributed by Paramount Pictures, except for the Hulk sequel, which will again be released by Universal Pictures.
Iron Man and the Hulk sequel are furthest along and most likely to hit theaters in 2008. Marvel's next priority is Captain America, which the company hopes to release in 2009.
Marvel has seven other superheroes and teams in development without talent yet attached.
