We all knew there would be a time when Robert Downey Jr. would no longer play Tony Stark. With IRON MAN 3 clearly focusing on the character tackling major internal issues about himself as a man and a hero, we know the end is near for this hero getting his own series of films. I can imagine Downey playing the character in cameos for years and maybe continue to appear in AVENGERS sequels for years to come, but this may be the beginning of the end for solo Iron man movies.
In the latest issue of GQ, Downey discussed the injury he suffered during filming IRON MAN 3 and what he envisions for the future:
“It got me thinking about how big the message from your cosmic sponsor needs to be before you pick it up,” he tells GQ in a new cover profile. “How many genre movies can I do? How many follow-ups to a successful follow-up are actually fun? I come from a family of very innovative writers and directors and actors and artists, and the circle of friends they were in were the people I heard having pun-offs playing poker at two in the morning, and it was just the most comforting aspect of my childhood. So there’s this kind of legacy of souls from what I consider to be a very particular time in entertainment, and I’m sensing a return to that.”
Downey also confirmed in the same story that he was paid $50 million to be in THE AVENGERS, a huge sum of money for even the absolute top paid actors in Hollywood. Without the success of the IRON MAN films, there would be no Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, if Downey elects to step away from the franchise, should the role be recast? Can anyone play Tony Stark as effectively as he has?
Downey has plans to do smaller films, including a film he describes as being tonally similar to HALLOWEEN, which he plans to direct and star in as a reporter on the run. Downey has come all the way from the brink of Hollywood self-destruction to become one, if not the biggest star in movies today. I would be willing to watch him do anything now as long as he is doing it because he loves it. I would hate to see him leave this role, but we all have to go sometimes.
IRON MAN 3 opens everywhere on May 3, 2013.
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