Robert Downey Jr. in Talks for AVENGERS 2 and 3
So there's a lot of drama going on at Marvel right now between the studio and the actors. A lot of the actors aren't happy with the way they are being treated by Marvel. There's a revealing article about it over on Deadline that you should check out. Even amongst all the craziness, Robert Downey Jr. is still looking to reprise his role as Tony Stark. According to THR, he's currently in negotiations with the studio to come back for The Avengers 2 and 3, but not for a fourth Iron Man movie. Here's what they are reporting...
Sources close to the dealmaking say Downey has entered negotiations to reprise his role in Marvel’s The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3, the first of which has a May 1, 2015, release date and will cap what is known as Phase 2 of the Marvel movies in the same way 2012’s Avengers culminated the first Marvel wave that began with 2008’s Iron Man. Avengers 3 has no release date and probably will not hit screens at least until the end of Phase 3, in 2017. But sources say Iron Man 4 has not been part of the discussions, and it’s unclear whether Downey, 48, wants to return for another stand-alone sequel.
An analyst suggests that Marvel Studios could lose out on as much as 9 % of their earnings in the near future without Robert Downey Jr. The report goes on to say, "It would be a definite negative for that particular franchise. He is Tony Stark. The other individual franchises -- Thor, Captain America, Hulk -- etc., don’t have near the level of box-office potential that Iron Man does. The other way to look at it is that Iron Man would probably look more like those other franchises in terms of box-office performance without Downey." I have to agree with all of that. Sure Marvel could replace him, but let's face it... Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark.
The report then adds that the studio has scripts in place for Blade, Ms. Marvel, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Black Panther, and The Runaways. So that should give us a look at what we have coming to us in Phase 3 and 4 of Marvel's plan.
I'm curious to see how this all works out, not only with Robert Downey Jr., but with the rest of the actors that have contracts with Marvel. The studio is eventually going to start replacing these actors, and it's going to be interesting to see what the fans' reactions are going to be when they start doing it. One thing is certain: it's in Marvel's best interest to keep Downey Jr. around for as long as they can.
Do you think Marvel movie excitement is going to die down if the studio has to replace him?