Iron Man 2 Q&A with Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau recently did a Q & A session with the Iron Man fans hosted by LA Times. He talked a great deal about Iron Man 2. Here is what he had to say:Where are They currently in the process of script writing?

We're playing with who the villain should be and what we should incorporate from the comic book. And how it will lead into the Avengers.

His thoughts on Avengers.

avengers is going to be.now that marvel is making its own movies every movie has to fit into the marvel universe. the avengers incorporates not just ironman but thor possibly Hulk and traditionally captain america as well. as it is scheduled Thor will come out the same summer as Ironman2 capt america will come out a few months before avengers. all the films have to come together to create a consistent universe

Why do some superhero comic book movies suck?

the reason that superhero films is either er the director was unfamiliar source material or the director chose to depart from it for personal reasons.Another reason is that the studios that had the rights toa particular franchise would never think twice about compromising the source material if thought it would enhance the commerical appeal.

He thinks all Marvel directors should keep in touch:

I think its important for all filmmakers working for Marvel to collaborate so there is a consistency in the films, so yes they should keep in touch. I had not been in touch really with Louis during"Hulk" and I think that would have been helpful. I hope to be in contact with directors in the future.

What about the Mandarin?

Mandarin is still an important figure in the Iron Man universe. We have an interesting take on him that allows us to incorporate the whole pantheon of villains. The whole 10 Rings thing in IM 1 was a good tease for it.

Will there be a Swinger sequel?

Maybe a Swingers sequel in another 10 yrs. Like the Sunshine Boys.

What happens with Tony?

The sequel is shaping up to incorporate Tony's vision for the future. What happens after he says "I am Iron Man?"

What does Jon focus on when making a film?

I focus mostly on story and character. I put a great value on emotion, humor and natural dialogue. The effects are fun to explore in original ways, but without a strong story, they mean nothing.

What did he think about ‘The Dark Knight'?

Dark Knight was a huge cultural event. It gave our genre a new found credibility. I have no doubt it will not be overlooked come awards season. Especially Heath. He was tremendous. So sad.

We are very different films. They are similar as far as the underlying material, but are different in personality. I think they reflect the tastes of the filmmakers.

Will he beef up his role in the movie?

Happy Hogan can no longer be a wall flower. I must marry Pepper someday. And let's not rule out the Freak! I have tremendous leverage to make such demands! Stay tuned.

What other comic would he like to turn into a movie?

The only other comic character I would do is Groo.

Will Tony deal with the demon in the bottle?

Stark has issues with booze. That's part of who he is. I don't think we'll ever do the Leaving Las Vegas version, but it will be dealt with.

Is the release date for Iron Man 2 feasible?

The date is daunting. We are making much faster progress than the first time around and have much less to design and fewer casting issues. I am confident that 2010 is achievable if we continue working together as we have for tha past few months. It has to be great, though. It has to be great.

Compared to ‘The Dark Knight'

Much more pressure to do well, but DK took the spotlight off us. I would be happy to be Pepsi to their Coke for the next ten years.

"The choice of a new generation!"

Any ideas for viiains?

I think we need some version of "classic villains" in these movies. Many don't hold up well to time and to the big screen, but their essence should inspire the characters.

Will he really shoot the film in IMAX?

Tough to actually shoot in IMAX when you have a CG hero much of the time. The effects becaome very expensive and may not look as good in the higher resolution. Worked very well for DK, though.

What other aspect will Jon explore in the sequel?

Iron Man is indeed a celebrity. He announced who he was and we have now officially departed from the standard secret ID superhero. Tony was already famous before the announcement. What would really happen if this went down? Fun to explore.

That's pretty much it. There are a ton of other questions and you can go Here to read the whole session. There is a ton of information here. Iron Man 2 will most likely be better than the first one which would be awesome!