During a press event held yesterday to promote the September 30 release of “Iron Man” on DVD, writer/director Jon Favreau had quite a bit to say about the film’s much-anticipated sequel, as well as the story that will potentially lead into a third “Iron Man” film.
Here’s a quick rundown of what he had to say about the future of the “Iron Man” franchise:
Favreau confirmed that Iron Man’s longtime nemesis, The Mandarin, will be a major villain in the franchise, though the character’s magic-based rings and the abilities they provided would likely need some tweaks to fit comfortably in the high-tech world established by the first film. He also hinted that Mandarin might not appear on-screen until the third film, in order to preserve some of the mystery and threat surrounding the Asian crime lord. The Mandarin’s presence was teased in the first film when a reference was made to the terrorist cell “Ten Rings” — though Favreau said he’s struggling with the proper way to follow through on this hint and bring the character into the world of the first film.
As for the evolution of Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes (played by Terrence Howard) into War Machine, who dons a similar set of armor as Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark, Favreau said that Rhodes’ role in the first film ended up smaller than originally planned and the War Machine story could offer up the chance to make amends.
Along similar lines, Favreau said he’d like to include the popular “Demon in a Bottle” storyline (in which Tony Stark struggles with alcoholism) into future “Iron Man” films, and that this arc could provide a nice opportunity for Rhodey to adopt the War Machine role.
Favreau also announced that “Tropic Thunder” writer Justin Theroux has joined the writing team for “Iron Man 2,” having been introduced to Favreau by Downey Jr. after the actor worked with him on “Thunder.”
After witnessing the success of “The Dark Knight” in IMAX theaters, Favreau said he welcomes the chance to go a similar route with “Iron Man 2″ — and even hinted that he’d be open to including some 3-D scenes in the sequel.
On the print comics side, Favreau said writer Matt Fraction’s current run on “Invincible Iron Man” not only feeds off the first “Iron Man” film, but has influenced his plans for the sequels.
As for Iron Man’s potential team-up with Captain America, The Hulk and the rest of The Avengers, Favreau said the two aforementioned characters would fit comfortably in the world of “Iron Man,” but the magical aspects of a character like Thor could be troublesome.
On the rumor front, Favreau mentioned that the current political climate could play a role in the the plot of future films, prompting various outlets to buzz about a potential introduction of Iron Man’s counterpart from Russia, The Crimson Dynamo.
There’s a lot to talk about here, so let’s get started! What do you think about Favreau’s plans for The Mandarin? Do you want to see Jim rhodes don the War Machine armor? What about The Crimson Dynamo? Heck, what other Iron Man characters would you like to see in the sequel(s)?
