Iron Man Online Articles/Press Releases on Iron Man

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Sep. 29, 2006


Downey in 'Iron' mask for Marvel


By Borys Kit and Sheigh Crabtree

Robert Downey Jr. is suiting up to star in "Iron Man," the first feature film to be produced independently by Marvel Entertainment. Jon Favreau is directing the movie, which will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Downey will portray Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Using his intelligence and ingenuity, Stark instead builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Upon his return to the U.S., he uncovers a plot with global implications and must don his armor and protect the world.

The comic debuted in the 1960s, and Iron Man's origin involved Stark being a prisoner of the Viet Cong.

The movie version, written by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby, will be set in today's geopolitical climate.


Marvel president of production Kevin Feige said the filmmakers looked for the best actor to embody the character.

"The Marvel characters are not just about how high they jump or how fast they fly, they're about their character flaws," Feige said. "They're about their inner demons. They're about the struggles that they go through between being a man and being a hero."

Downey worked hard to get the role, getting in shape and even growing a goatee like the one Stark sports in the comic books.

"In every casting announcement we've done, people in their mind's eye have their own view of it and let us know about it. We're used to it," Feige said. "The point is, we looked at everybody, and we found the best person for the role. It's as confident a casting move as we've ever done. The proof will be in the pudding, but he is Tony Stark."

The $100 million-plus-budgeted movie will be produced by Feige and Avi Arad. Executive producers are Michael Helfant, Ari Arad, Louis D'Esposito, Peter Billingsley and Favreau.

Marvel is now casting all supporting roles. Filming is slated to begin in February in Los Angeles.

Downey, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Chaplin," next stars in "Fur" opposite Nicole Kidman and David Fincher's "Zodiac" opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. He is repped by CAA.

Here's #1

 

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Moviehole's take:

Robert Downey Jr is Iron Man
September 29, 2006
Makes you wanna do cartwheels anytime a studio takes a welcome gamble like this.

Referring of course to news relayed from Aint it Cool News that the-one-and-only Robert Downey Jr – yes, Downey Jr! Not some sloppy CW regular or fresh-faced musician *** artiste – has signed to play Tony Stark, or rather, “Iron Man”.

Whoever thought Paramount would cast someone of Downey Jr’s calibre – or type – in the role? Sure, it fits him like a glove – alcoholic billionaire that gets about in a superhero outfit after hours – but its almost unheard of. Obviously someone’s taking a page out of Chris Nolan’s “Batman” book and casting ‘actors’ before ‘faces’. Nice example to follow though – “Batman Begins” won a mint, and some major merit.

Interestingly enough, Tom Cruise was initially linked to the project – granted, this was before his transformation into couch-jumping preacher boy – so seems the film has always been circling, in some ways, a big name to headline.

But lets admit it, Cruise is a movie star, Downey Jr is an actor – and “Iron Man” will be all the more better for having Morton’s boy wearing the ensemble.

Downey Jr has made a real comeback the past coupla years. It’s funny to think that many of us assumed he had ruined himself when he went and got himself fired from TV comeback gig “Ally McBeal” – but then he bounced back a couple of years later with big roles in big films, movies like “Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang”, “The Singing Detective” and “Good Night and Good Luck”.

Glad he did clean up his act though – it’ll be interesting to see him playing an alcoholic on screen though, temptation is a ***** – because we’ve now got one of today’s best actors back on our screens. There’s not many like RDJ.

Another fab actor, Terrence Howard (“Hustle & Flow”), is believed to be in talks for the role of Jim Rhodes, the former CEO of Stark Industries, in the film. Comic book fans will know that Rhodes has an alter ego too – War Machine (and later, he takes the guise of “Iron Man”).

“Iron Man” starts filming in January, under the guidance of Jon Favreau – who, by the way, has a new baby; congrats mate! – and the Paramount troops.

The pic, based on the classic Marvel comic book of the same name, fixes on a troubled billionaire who creates a life support suit to assist him after a life threatening accident and ultimately decides to use its technology to fight evil and crime.

 

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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117950941?categoryid=13

'Iron' hot for Downey
[URL="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117950941?categoryid=13"]Downey JrThesp lands Marvel superhero gig
Marking his first lead role in a big-budget action movie, Robert Downey Jr. will be putting on the "Iron Man" suit for Marvel Studios. Pic, set for release by Paramount in May 2008, will be the first to be self-financed by Marvel. Jon Favreau directs.

9/28/06 7:14pm

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Can't load the whole story...don't subscribe. Anyone?

 

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A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR IRON MAN
09.28.06
By Devin Faraci
Contributing sources: Sayeed, Aint It Cool
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Aint It Cool News* is reporting that Robert Downey Jr has been hired to play Tony Stark, aka the guy inside the Iron Man costume, in Jon Favreau’s movie version of the Marvel comic book. If true (see the previous asterisk), this is a major indicator of where Favreau is going with the film (well, duh) and it’s also very, very good news.

The main reason why this is good news is the Robert Downey Jr is one of our best actors today. Period. Not of his age, his gender, his nationality, of all the people with suffixes – just one of the best actors working in the motion picture industry. He’s fantastic.

The other reason why this is good news is that it seems to show that Favreau’s not making another generic superhero movie. With Tom Cruise in the armor as Iron Jock the movie would be generic. But with RDJ we’re guaranteed to be getting a non-traditional hero, a guy who wears his shortcomings on his sleeve. RDJ’s Tony Stark is almost guaranteed to be a charmer and also a scoundrel – these are the characters he plays best, after all. But what might be most important is the fact that if I was going to make a movie where Tony Stark is a weapons dealer, as Favreau is, and I wanted to make my character morally ambiguous while still leaning towards doing good, I couldn’t think of an actor better suited to play the role.

Some people are going to get excited about the serendipity between RDJ’s own drug abuse and Tony Stark’s impending alcoholism (Favreau has gone on the record saying this won’t be a major part of the story of the first Iron Man film) – to me that’s the only down side. I don’t mind when elements of an actor’s well known persona makes it into a movie – look at Nicholson in The Departed as a perfect example of this working well – but I don’t like it when events from an actor’s life suddenly end up in a movie. While the alcoholism was there before RDJ’s drug problem, it feels so on the nose that I may lose the character.

* This news apparently comes right from Harry. I often avoid running AICN “scoops” like this simply because they have no fact-checking process. This means that people delight in sending them bull**** and getting it published. That said, Harry worked with Favreau on the currently-shelved John Carter of Mars film, and I can only hope that Harry’s source was Favreau or someone he knows to be connected to Favreau. Or that he at least dialed Favreau’s cell to check up on the story. We’ll know tomorrow – the AICN piece says it hits the trades then.
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Discuss this sucker on our MESSAGE BOARDS.

CHUD

 

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Robert Downey Jr IS Iron Man
Cast as Marvel's latest movie hero
Source: Variety

Okay, make a quick mental list of the people you thought might be slipping on the Iron Man suit for director Jon Favreau and Marvel. Tom Cruise? Judi Dench?

If you shoved your brain hand up and shouted, “Robert Downey Jr!”, you’re a big ol’ mind-liar. But he has indeed signed on to play billionaire industrialist/superhero Tony Stark.

"It's right along the lines of our other films, where we cast people who can become the characters," Marvel’s Kevin Feige told Variety, reminding us all that Tobey Maguire have never starred in a comic book flick before Spider-Man happened along.

While the first movie will focus on Stark building the suit for the first time and his darker past as a weapons inventor, comics fans will know he later falls into a well of alcoholism. Thank goodness Downey Jr spent a large part of his early career doing method research for possible sequels…

It's unexpected casting, but the more we think about it, the more spot-on it feels. Favreau will start shooting in February next year for a scheduled May 2008 release date. For more on Iron Man, pick up the new copy of Empire for exclusive interviews with Fav' and much more.

Note from AD: Guess we need to get the new empire mag..huh?

 

[Ironfan72]

Awesome articles, Robert is very well respected in the entertainment world, these articles have nothing but praise for him and for Jon Favreau and Marvel for choosing him.

 

[Darknightnomis]

If they delve in the "Demon in a bottle" situation for the movie then this will be where Downey Jr. Strength as an actor will take over and solidify Favreau choice for pciking him.

And not for his own personal "demons" in life but he can really do tragic figures well (see 'Less than Zero')

 

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From MTV:

09.29.2006 9:23 AM EDT

Robert Downey Jr. Signs On To Sport 'Iron Man' Armor

Actor will play billionaire-turned-hero Tony Stark in Jon Favreau's film.



Robert Downey Jr.
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Getty Images


Over the years, Robert Downey Jr. has played students, junkies, cops, sleazy producers, rogue U.S. Marshals and, um, Charlie Chaplin. And none of those roles seemed to be as much of a stretch as the one he's just signed on for:



billionaire-industrialist-turned-mecha-hero Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Downey will play Stark in the big-screen version of Marvel Comics' "Iron Man," to be directed by Jon Favreau (see "Have Doubts About The 'Iron Man' Movie? Jon Favreau Wants To Hear Them"). Shooting is scheduled to get underway this February in Los Angeles, with a reported budget of more than $100 million.

In the film, Stark — who, in addition to being a billionaire is also a master inventor (aren't they all) — is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, he develops a high-tech suit of armor, which helps him escape his captors and uncover a nefarious plot with global implications.

Stark first donned the Iron Man armor way back in 1963, making his first appearance in Marvel's "Tales of Suspense" anthology series. In his original incarnation, Stark was an M.I.T. graduate who traveled to Vietnam to help the American war effort with his inventions. Ultimately, he's wounded by a piece of shrapnel and taken into custody by the Viet Cong, where he's put to work developing weapons for the enemy. But with the help of a fellow prisoner, he develops a powerful metal exoskeleton in secret, and uses it to escape.

The movie version of "Iron Man" — which has been in various stages of development for years — will take place in the current geo-political climate, according to the Reporter. It's tentatively scheduled to blast into theaters May 2, 2008.

Check out everything we've got on "Iron Man".

Visit Movies on MTV.com for Hollywood news, interviews, clips, red carpet photos and more.

Want trailers? Visit Movies on MTV Overdrive for the newest, scariest and funniest coming attractions anywhere.


— James Montgomery

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Wow, the media is eating this up already!

I could be wrong, but I really think attaching Downey to this project may have just pushed the film's anticipation status WAY up on people's lists.

Like I said, I'm pleased with the choice. I have a few reservations, but they are very minor and nothing that a few weights, and time won't work out (on the physical fitness tip).

 

[IronMan_2005]

Wow, the media is eating this up already!

I could be wrong, but I really think attaching Downey to this project may have just pushed the film's anticipation status WAY up on people's lists.

Like I said, I'm pleased with the choice. I have a few reservations, but they are very minor and nothing that a few weights, and time won't work out (on the physical fitness tip).

yeah no kidding, did Batman Begins get this much pub when Bale was cast? I remember Superman did

In the Yahoo.com report, it said RDJ got in shape and even grew a goatee

 

[millennium movies]

People try finding a picture of him, recent picture. I'd love to see his current look.

 

[C. Lee]

Wow, the media is eating this up already!

I could be wrong, but I really think attaching Downey to this project may have just pushed the film's anticipation status WAY up on people's lists.

Like I said, I'm pleased with the choice. I have a few reservations, but they are very minor and nothing that a few weights, and time won't work out (on the physical fitness tip).

Agreed.....whether you like him or not....you have to realize that he is a "media" darling and loved by most of hollywood....his name on the project will attract other wellknown actors to the movie.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Agreed.....whether you like him or not....you have to realize that he is a "media" darling and loved by most of hollywood....his name on the project will attract other wellknown actors to the movie.

Exactly.

The inertia from this casting decision will likely reverberate all the way to the role of the archnemesis too. And if they make an equally inspired choice there, Marvel could have the makings of a very solid franchise a la Sony's Spider-Man or FOX's X-Men film series.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Yeah, the more I look at him the more I think he can pull this off. The stache and goatee will make all the difference; I'm already confident in his acting ability.

 

[The Batman]

SMARTEST...CHOICE....EVER....

It was incredibly naive of fanboys to think this movie could get away with casting an unknown and still being a hit. Now, we've got a real actor as Iron Man, and now, people are interested in this project.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Exactly.

The inertia from this casting decision will likely reverberate all the way to the role of the archnemesis too. And if they make an equally inspired choice there, Marvel could have the makings of a very solid franchise a la Sony's Spider-Man or FOX's X-Men film series.

Definetely! Have they announced which villain he's fighting yet, btw?

 

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mandarin

 

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<H1>Marvel's 'Iron Man' Suits Downey

Jon Favreau will direct


September 29, 2006

Robert Downey Jr.

Marvel is resting its high profile "Iron Man" franchise on the shoulders of Oscar nominated, and occasionally volatile, leading man Robert Downey Jr.

"Iron Man" premiered in 1963 and stands as one of the most popular Marvel offerings not to get the big screen treatment. The independently financed feature will be distributed by Paramount and directed by Jon Favreau.

The Iron Man character, alias Tony Stark (Downey), was the son of a wealthy industrialist. Stark was sent on a non-military research mission in Vietnam, where he was taken prisoner and forced to build an electrically powered suit of armor for the Communists. He stole the armor and, in his new guise, began fighting America's enemies first overseas and at home. He also, in a realistic touch, battled alcoholism.

According to media reports, the new "Iron Man," written by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby, will be contemporary, rather than mirroring the original's Vietnam themes. It's also being reported that Stark's alcoholism won't be a major plotline in the first "Iron Man" feature, which will be Marvel's first self-financed feature under its recent agreement through Merrill Lynch.

Marvel hopes to have "Iron Man" in front of cameras by February. The film already has a May 2008 release date staked out.

Downey's in the midst of a busy career stretch. The "Chaplin" Oscar nominee has appeared in "Good Night, and Good Luck," "A Scanner Darkly" and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" in the past year. He has turns in "Fur" and "Zodiac" upcoming.

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Zap2It=Source

Nice newer pic of Downey.

 

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Robert Downey Jr.: Shellhead
By Tim Beyers (TMF Mile High)
September 29, 2006

When rumors surfaced that Tom Cruise would play billionaire industrialist Tony Stark in Iron Man, Marvel Entertainment's (NYSE: MVL) first picture as an independent studio, I got nervous. It seemed like a suicidal choice -- the business equivalent of Stark's alcoholism.

My problem wasn't so much with Cruise the actor as it was the Cruise the movie star. As a longtime reader of the comic, I longed not for someone who'd do well with the inevitable stunts, as Cruise would, but instead for an actor perfectly suited to play the troubled genius that Stark is.

Enter Robert Downey Jr., who, as of yesterday, landed the role. Plagued by many of his own high-profile troubles, Downey remains one of my favorite actors, and a perfect choice to play Stark. Seriously, who better to play a troubled genius than ... a troubled genius, as Downey surely is?

Not that I'm expecting Iron Man to be a deep character study, as Ang Lee's The Hulk tried to be. Instead, I'm hoping for an action flick that also dabbles in the dark side of heroism. Iron Man provides that opportunity because Stark, as written in the comics, is a prisoner of war whose life is threatened by an injured heart. He invents an armored battle suit to save his life first; heroism is a distant second.

I'll understand if you think I'm painting a picture of a movie that could be both dark and disturbing. In fact, I expect it to be neither. Instead, Iron Man should be a solid popcorn flick that allows for moments of uncomfortable conflict caused by the psyche of a man who's been through ... well, you know.

Downey is the perfect actor to play that role, which is good news for shareholders. Marvel doesn't need Iron Man to duplicate the success of a certain friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, but it must at least get within spitting distance of Fantastic Four, which booked $154.7 million in domestic box office receipts, according to Box Office Mojo.

Why? According to estimates provided at Marvel's analyst day last month, a film that earns $100 million at the U.S. box office would result in a small operating loss. Losses could quickly pile up in Marvel's credit facility, which compounds interest regularly. A steadily increasing balance would raise the bar for future films to deliver enough profit to pay off the debt and deliver cash to Marvel and its shareholders.

But I find that possibility remote as of today. If handed a good script and smart guidance from film director Jon Favreau, Downey should deliver at least as well as Fantastic Four did, and maybe even a lot better. Go get 'em, Shellhead.

Power up with related Foolishness

Motley Fool

 

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[FONT=verdana,helvetica]Robert Downey Jr. Is Iron Man
[/FONT][FONT=verdana,helvetica]
by Josh Grossberg
[/FONT][FONT=verdana,helvetica]Sep 29, 2006, 10:35 AM PT

[/FONT][FONT=verdana,helvetica]Robert Downey Jr. is ready to become one serious metalhead--the actor has signed on to play the title role in Iron Man, Paramount Pictures' feature film based on the famed Marvel superhero.
Downey will play Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and brilliant inventor, who, after a near-fatal accident, builds a high-tech, nearly impenetrable suit of armor that gives him superhuman strength and other powers, which he uses to fight the baddies.

Jon Favreau, a longtime comic buff (and costar of another Marvel adaption, Daredevil), will helm Iron Man. Marvel Entertainment is producing the $100 million action-adventure, the first time the company is fully financing a film based on one of its characters. Paramount will serve as distributor.
The idea for a screen version of Iron Man has been kicking around Hollywood for nearly a decade, but despite the interest of Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage to don the armor, the project never got off the drawing board until now.
Iron Man was created by Larry Lieber, Stan Lee, Don Lee and Jack Kirby and premiered in Marvel Comics' Tales of Suspense #39 in March 1963. Stark's red-and-gold-hued metallic alter ego originally battled Communists during the early years of the Vietnam War, often appearing alongside Captain America.
But Stark evolved into a more complicated comic book figure, whose fought crime and personal demons, including alcoholism--something to which Downey can no doubt relate.
The actor's well documented battles with booze and drug addiction landed him behind bars and nearly wrecked a career that includes a Best Actor Oscar nominee for 1992's Chaplin.
Downey reportedly lobbied hard for the role, working out and growing a goatee styled like the one Stark sports in the comic book. Iron Man will mark the actor's first big-budget action flick.
"In every casting announcement we've done, people in their mind's eye have their own view of it and let us know about it. We're used to it," Kevin Feige, Marvel's president of production, told the Hollywood Reporter. "The point is, we looked at everybody, and we found the best person for the role. It's as confident a casting move as we've ever done. The proof will be in the pudding, but he is Tony Stark."
According to trade reports, Iron Man's initial outing won't focus on Stark's drinking problem, but producers say those issues may be covered in sequels, should the franchise take off. Instead, Iron Man's plot is expected to contemporize the storyline and likely include the hero battling terrorists.
Downey most appeared in a quartet of 2005 releases: George Clooney's Oscar-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck, Shane Black's off-kilter indie thriller Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Disney's remake of The Shaggy Dog, and Richard Linklater's trippy sci-fi flick, A Scanner Darkly.
The actor's upcoming projects include the indie caper A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints; Lucky You, a drama which reunites him with Wonder Boys director Curtis Hanson; David Fincher's crime caper Zodiac, starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal; and the Diane Arbus biopic Fur, starring Nicole Kidman and due out Nov. 10.
Downey also recently inked a deal with HarperCollins to publish a memoir.
Iron Man starts shooting in February and is scheduled to hit in theaters in May 2008.
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E-Online

 

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http://www.javno.com/en/bestseller/clanak.php?id=134344

Cool read.

 

[YJ1]

Don't know where to post this. This weekend's USA Weekend features "interviews with the leading ladies of 3 upcoming blockbusters."

http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/080420/080420comic-book-movies-women.html

The interviewer doesn't seem to take comic adaptations seriously but interesting press coverage none-the-less.