Paramount honcho Brad Grey has apparently stated that as long as the flick does “as well as expected” (and there’s no reason to think it won’t), the studio wants to get a sequel in theaters for the same May weekend in 2010.
Of course, IRON MAN isn’t actually a Paramount movie — it’s Marvel’s first self-financed project to hit screens, with Paramount distributing. But with the buzz so far, it’s no great surprise they’d all want to get Downey back in the super-suit ASAP. Director Jon Favreau has already said he planned a loose structure for three movies, with Mandarin presumably making a villain appearance along the line.