There's a pretty good chance we won't see any more Iron Man movies. The Marvel plan seems to be fashioning trilogies then moving on to something new, and besides, Robert Downey Jr. has been a little flaky about his desire to do another one. More often than not he's been disinterested, but occasionally he's open to the idea. But if Marvel really wants to lock Downey in for Iron Man 4, all they need to do is make sure Mel Gibson directs it.
In a fascinating extensive interview with Deadline, Downey spoke about his friendship with Gibson. There was a time when Hollywood wasn't all that keen on hiring Downey due to his personal demons, and Gibson was one of the few who gave him a shot in The Singing Detective. And now as Gibson is something of a pariah nowadays, Downey wants to return the favor.
DEADLINE: Marvel badly wants Iron Man 4 and you’ve said you aren’t doing it. How about the idea you’ll do that movie if Mel directs it?
DOWNEY: Correct.
DEADLINE: Is that our headline?
DOWNEY: Why not? That movie would be bananas.
Leaving aside whatever issues Gibson had (Downey insists Gibson has changed, and I believe him), he has quite a bit of experience directing large-scale movies. Braveheart and Apocalypto spring to mind immediately, but also The Passion of the Christ was a major production, so it's not as if Gibson would be out of his depth. And let's be honest that it would be a much easier way to regain fan favor than playing villains in Machete and Expendables movies.
It's unlikely Marvel would go this route, anyway, and Downey has other reasons for being hesitant.
DOWNEY: To me, it comes down to what’s the half-life of people enjoying a character? It’s different on TV, where you expect the longevity over seasons while movies get a two or three year break. Marvel keeps stepping up its game, and I appreciate the way Kevin Feige and all the creatives there think. They are as in the creative wheelhouse as any great studio has been at any point. So it becomes a matter of, at what point do I cease to be an asset to what they’re doing, and at what point do I feel I am spending so much time either shooting or promoting these films that I’m not actually able to get off the beachhead and do the kind of other stuff that is good for all of us. Each one of those movies is spread over two years and some people fit other things in. But I’m not 42, I’m turning 50 and now I’ll have two small kids instead of one grown one, and eight Team Downey projects with people who are imagining I’m not just spending Warner Bros’ money out of vanity, but that I’m taking it seriously. It all has become this thing that has to be figured out. It has come to a head, right now, where the points of departure will be.
For now, Downey appears to be content showing up for Avengers: Age of Ultron and starring in smaller films like The Judge, which opens Oct. 10th.
