After a brief period of rumours, Jon Favreau has confirmed that he is no longer attached to direct Iron Man 3, which is due enter production after The Avengers.
Speaking to LA Times, Favreau explains:
Marvel and I both came of age together. The years that we shared were a pivotal experience. Kevin [Feige] has a firm grasp on the many franchises and how they all interweave and I am happy that I had the opportunity to establish the world that these characters can now play in…. ‘Iron Man’ has given me tremendous opportunities and Kevin and I are enjoying a lot of momentum in our careers thanks to the ‘Iron Man’ films. I look forward to seeing what others can do playing in the same world.
There doesn’t appear to be any ill will between the director and studio; indeed, Favreau is working on the project ‘Magic Kingdom’ for Marvel’s new parent company Disney, and he will stay on as producer on The Avengers.
Marvel now have a challenge of course, in finding a director to fill Favreau’s shoes on the project. Let’s hope they avoid Fox’s mistake with X-Men 3, and don’t dump the film on a hack director with a sub-par script. Given that the franchise revitalised star Robert Downey Jr’s career, the actor will be extremely loyal to Favreau, and Marvel will have to work hard to keep him happy with any replacement. With plenty of time to go before IM3 enters production, there should be more than enough chances for them to get things right.
