Okay, make a quick mental list of the people you thought might be slipping on the Iron Man suit for director Jon Favreau and Marvel. Tom Cruise? Judi Dench?
If you shoved your brain hand up and shouted, “Robert Downey Jr!”, you’re a big ol’ mind-liar. But he has indeed signed on to play billionaire industrialist/superhero Tony Stark.
"It's right along the lines of our other films, where we cast people who can become the characters," Marvel’s Kevin Feige told Variety, reminding us all that Tobey Maguire have never starred in a comic book flick before Spider-Man happened along.
While the first movie will focus on Stark building the suit for the first time and his darker past as a weapons inventor, comics fans will know he later falls into a well of alcoholism. Thank goodness Downey Jr spent a large part of his early career doing method research for possible sequels…
It's unexpected casting, but the more we think about it, the more spot-on it feels. Favreau will start shooting in February next year for a scheduled May 2008 release date. For more on Iron Man, pick up the new copy of Empire for exclusive interviews with Fav' and much more.