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How Iron Man 2 Ruined Jon Favreau's Relationship With Marvel

When word came down that Marvel was planning an Avengers movie which would bring all of their superhero franchises together in one place, a lot of people assumed Jon Favreau would be the top contender for the film’s directing job. After all, he started the modern Marvel craze with Iron Man and Favreau has sort of become the godfather of everything that happens in the Marvel movie universe. But somehow, he was never even considered and it wasn’t long before Favs moved on to Cowboys & Aliens. We never really knew why Favs wasn’t a contender for the Avengers job, at least until now.

According to one of our most reliable sources (this is the same source which first broke the news that Black Widow would be in Iron Man 2 and has given us numerous other confirmed scoops over the years) Favreau really wanted to direct The Avengers but Marvel didn’t want to pay for him. Their negotiations with Favreau to secure him as the director of Iron Man 2 were difficult and Favreau worked out a deal that got him paid more money. Marvel wasn’t willing to pay that kind of money again when it came time for The Avengers, and so even though Favs wanted to direct their superhero team-up movie, they didn’t want him. Instead Marvel has made it a point to seek out cheaper talent to direct all of their subsequent movies. Joss Whedon was hired to direct The Avengers and while he’s a mega-talented director he’s also a much cheaper hire than someone like Favreau.

It makes sense. If you’re making a movie like The Avengers, then to do it right you’ll end up spending a ton of money on special effects and talent. You have to cut costs somewhere and if you can do it while at the same time hiring incredibly talented people (like Whedon) then so much the better. But that doesn’t explain what happened to Iron Man 2.

If you’ve seen Iron Man 2 then you noticed that it wasn’t quite the movie we’d all hoped for. Actually it wasn’t very good. Part of the problem was the movie seemed wrapped around an odd, Avengers-focused, subplot which never really fit into the story. Jon Favreau may not have liked it any more than you or I do.

Our source says Iron Man 2 wasn’t the movie Jon Favreau wanted to make. Marvel interfered heavily with his work on the movie and turned the project into an infomercial for The Avengers. Favreau felt the movie was rushed into production (and if you followed the development process you know it was) and they pushed him into making it without a fully realized script. Iron Man 2 wasn’t the movie he wanted to make and because of that, if there’s an Iron Man 3, there’s every reason to think he won’t be back. Marvel doesn’t want to pay him and Favreau may not want to deal with more Marvel interference.

Favreau wasn’t the only one unhappy with Iron Man 2. Robert Downey Jr. saw those same problems and according to our source, “While he's locked for Iron Man 3, chances are, that will be his last movie.” In the meantime, Downey will get (and probably deserves) top billing in The Avengers.

While our source here is a proven commodity, as always with anything reported on the internet without official sanction, consider the above all rumor. Besides, there’s still plenty of time for Favreau and Marvel repair their relationship. Hopefully, before they start planning Iron Man 3, Marvel will have gotten around to playing kiss and make up with its Iron Man team.

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Now that I think about it, Iron Man 2 did seem rushed. I mean, Marvel announced the release date of May 2010 even before they start pre-production, when Downey was still doing the rounds promoting the first Iron Man movie. They didn't have a script or anything, and were pushed into making a movie that has a very high expectation after how amazing the first movie was! I just hope that this doesn't ruin Iron Man 3 and fingers crossed that The Avengers would be a good movie.

Also, RDJ was recently spotted exiting Guy Ritchie's home in London, most probably discussing the Sherlock Holmes sequel, while wearing a "Team Downey" t-shirt. I really need to find one of that!

Something about Poe, the Edgar Allan Poe biopic that Downey has been linked with:

First was "Poe," a biopic about the late horror author Edgar Allen Poe that Stallone has had his heart set on doing for a long, long time. "I will direct it, but it's never gonna live up to the hype," he said. He jokingly added, "No matter what I do it's going to bomb, totally. Totally! When you've been talking about something for 30 years, it's impossible [to live up to those expectations]."

Robert Downey Jr. was at once point attached to star as the titular author, so Josh asked if the "Iron Man" star is still on board. He didn't say one way or another, but he admitted that the role needs to go to someone "special."

"It has be like Downey, I designed it for Downey," he explained. "Perhaps I could re-work the script. [Maybe] Johnny Depp. It needs a very special actor like that." While it doesn't sound like there's been any recent momentum on the project, Stallone was quick to add, "I'm sure there's something on the horizon."

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If they cast either RDJ or Johnny Depp, I'm definitely watching.