When you think about actors who could star in superhero movies, Robert Downey Jr probably doesn't figure too highly on the list. But films about superheroes that are wankered on booze most of the time? Why, Robert Downey Jr would be the perfect choice.
That's what Marvel figures, anyway – it's just announced that Robert Downey Jr will be taking the lead in its new Iron Man movie, a role which seems to involve being rich, drinking lots of alcohol and spending a great deal of time inside a cell. Ah, so now we see where Marvel is coming from…
Making a superhero movie isn't the easy ride to success that people think it is – look at the relative failure of Superman Returns or The Hulk for proof of that – but, as risky as it can be, it didn't stop Marvel from announcing it was making all its own movies last year. Never mind that all the decent superheroes – and a few crappy ones – already had movies made about them; Marvel had a backlog of a bazillion bland characters just screaming out for the movie treatment. While we still await the Hawkeye movie – about a man with a bow and arrow and a silly hat – Marvel has announced that its first movie will be Iron Man, and Iron Man will be played by Robert Downey Jr. Yes, Robert Downey Jr from Chaplin, Ally McBeal and taking loads of drugs all the time. Despite what you're currently thinking, Marvel head of production Kevin Feige thinks he's made the right choice in Robert Downey Jr:
"The Marvel characters are not just about how high they jump or how fast they fly, they're about their character flaws. They're about their inner demons. They're about the struggles that they go through between being a man and being a hero. 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. 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."
Iron Man, for those of you who didn't need to back into a fantasy world during their formative years, tells the story of Tony Stark – a millionaire inventor who is captured by the Communists and ordered to make a crazy powerful robot bodysuit, which he wears and kicks everyone in with. Oh, and he's also a raging alcoholic, which we imagine is why Robert Downey Jr got the part.
Actually, we suspect that Robert Downey Jr might not be the worst choice for Iron Man – after all, he's managed to be the best thing in just about every film he's ever appeared in – and at least once Iron Man is out of the way Marvel can hurry up and put a film about Lockjaw, the unusually big superhero dog, into production.
Read more:
Downey In Iron Mask For Marvel – Hollywood Reporter
[story by Stuart Heritage]