I heard a few weeks ago that the Iron Man movie (due to debut on 5/2/08) cast Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Mr. Iron Man himself, and at first I was pissed. “What the hell were they thinking?” ran through my head. After Cable & Batman, Iron Man may very well be my third favorite superhero so I am concerned that the movie will be more “FF” and “DD” than “BB” (Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Batman Begins).
Then I learned that Robby wanted the part so badly that he grew a beard and squared it off just like how Tony does in the comics. Then I pondered how a large part of Iron Man’s story centers around how his alcoholism. In the comics, Tony Stark lost control of his company [Stark Enterprises] due to his problem and is very open about it in the Marvel Universe. Like Iron Man, Robby’s had his fair share of problems. Then I read how Director John Favreau, someone I respect, said that he was the perfect choice for the role. So, I’ve gotten over my initial aprehension and am okay with the decision and even a bit excited by it. All in all, Downey is a fantastically talented actor and another bright star, Terrance Brennen (“Crash” and “Hustle & Flow”) has been cast as James Rhodes, aka War Machine, so things are looking up. As Yahoo! Movies wrote, “Here’s hoping this does for Downey what ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ did for Johnny Depp, allowing a tactile, clever actor the chance to reach a massive audience and cement his place as a box office dynamo.” Hear hear!
A good director, a good cast and a good budget all are a part of the equation which is a very good thing. This is the first film that Marvel is financing on its own – in the past their movies like “Spiderman” and “X-Men” have been partnerships with one of major studios – so its a financial gamble that I hope pays off. You never know with these comic movies but as Iron Man is one of my personal favorites, I am praying they do not screw this up.