Robert Downey Jr. Will Continue to Play Iron Man
June 21, 2013 by Jennifer Exley
It’s official. Iron Man will return for at least two more films, according to USA Today.
Robert Downey Jr., who has been wearing the signature suit since 2008, has inked a deal with Marvel to play the superhero in both Avengers 2 and Avengers 3. This will be Downey’s fifth and sixth times playing Iron Man on screen.
This deal comes after there were rumors floating around Downey would no longer be playing the famous Avenger. Downey’s contract with Marvel ended after Iron Man 3 and many believed he was too expensive to be brought on for any more films. Indeed, Downey himself confirmed to GQ in April that he was paid $50 million for the first Avengers movie. Incidentally, Downey will be 50-years-old when Avengers 2 is set to be released in 2015.
“I cannot produce [these films] for another 40 years, and I don’t think Robert can star in them for that long,” said Marvel Executive Producer Kevin Feige. “But I certainly hope he’ll be playing the character for many years to come.”
So who will Downey be passing the Iron Man torch to? Will Marvel write in a scene where Downey will do just that? Or will they take a page from Christopher Nolan’s book and rewrite the history to include a new actor? At least for now, we know Downey will be right where he belongs in his red and gold suit.
Avengers 2 is set to start production in March 2014 with a tentative release date of May 1, 2015.