No Iron Man 4, But Robert Downey Jr. Will Join CAPTAIN AMERICA 3!
Lee B. Golden III
All comic book-related movie news remains in an on-going state of flux, which is pretty natural at this point. The studios want to keep certain things secret while maintaining anticipation among their fans which is fantastic, but also frustrating, in which case, if your name is Robert Downey Jr., then you’re playing this game perfectly.
The actor, whose latest courtroom drama, The Judge, opened last week, just confirmed the developement for third installment of the Sherlock Holmes film series for Warner Bros., which is just one of a few franchise favorites among moviegoers and fans of Downey Jr. alike. Of course, you also then have the enduring and ever-expanding Marvel movie universe, which the actor kicked off in superb fashion in 2008 with Iron Man. Sure, some people might disagree with the popularity of this genre and may feel that it is getting old to a certain degree, but it doesn’t make these films any less entertaining. Studios like Marvel are always finding a way to keep things fresh and growing, and considering all the vague rumors being reported for the past month or more, it’s good to finally learn some solid news for a change.
It was on Monday this week that Marvel Comics announced a forthcoming reboot addition of their 2006 comic book series Civil War, news that initially hinted at a “Secret Wars” crossover project which began in conjunction with Hasbro for their 1984 toy deal. Civil War, which begins its comic book run next summer, will focus on the internal conflict among superheroes in lieu of the Superhero Registration Act, which would oblige anyone with superpowers and abilities to install themselves into a registry and apply their services to a police force. The Act causes a clash between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, and their Avenger alteregos Iron Man and Captain America, respectively – a riff which would begin drawing the battle lines between multiple heroes with different ideologies on right and wrong. This particular storytelling formula was a definitive tool in the overall delivery and commercial success of this year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who are currently poised to direct Captain America 3 next Spring for its May 6, 2016 release with actor Chris Evans returning once more as the jingoistic-costumed superhuman patriot for the fourth time within the Marvel movieverse.
This time, after weeks and weeks of speculation and doubt regarding whether or not Downey Jr. would put the Iron suit back on for “Iron Man 4”, those rumors finally quelled with official reports from Variety that the actor would reunite with Evans for Captain America 3 for at least a month on set in Atlanta, Georgia next year, and not for a small role either. Badass Digest brought even details on Monday stating that Captain America 3 would be an ensemble film with the title hero having his own team, an element in the story that would come following the events of the May 1, 2016 release of Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron. That said, the word is Downey Jr. is getting a $40 million dollar pay day from Captain America 3, so fans can surely expect Stark to play a more intergral role in the events following Age Of Ultron as the Marvel movieverse essentially aims for a new phase. Moreover, it is also being speculated that recent talks to help merge Spider-man into Disney’s booming Marvel movie franchise could lead to the popular wall-crawler’s appearance in future films following Sony’s Amazing Spider-Man films; As for whether or not Andrew Garfield will be back is yet to be determined though while The Sinister Six, Venom and a yet-to-be-titled superheroine movie remain in the works.
The Russos are also said to be the favorites to direct a third and possible fourth Avengers film while things remain in flux regarding Captain America 3, aside from the respective picture deals between Evans and TWS co-star, actor Sebastian Stan; Anthony Mackie could possibly return as Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, in addition to sharpshooting archer and fellow Avenger Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner, who is nonetheless willing to play the character in his own franchise line if Marvel can foresee it following the comic’s relaunch next summer as well.
Other than that, there is still plenty of time and more rumors will soon follow before we hear further solid news on the matter. Different things are happening between different studios with repsect to their Marvel movieverses, which (could) finally hint at the appearance of the Fantastic Four in Disney’s future Marvel movies, as recently stated by Deadline, ahead of 20th Century Fox’s August 7, 2015 reboot and its July 14, 2017 sequel (and yes, do take that with a grain of salt). At least for now though, fans can look forward to watching more of Tony Stark’s swag annoy Steve Rogers from time to time, well…at least before the wear-and-tear on their supersuits begins.
