Robert Downey Jr. Signs on for CAPTAIN AMERICA 3, Which Will Launch Civil War Storyline
It looks like Robert Downey Jr. will be in Captain America 3, reprising his role as Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man! The new comes from Variety, who says that the actor is in final negotiations of solidifying the deal. They also say that the movie will launch the Civil War storyline in the cinematic universe and that it will start a whole new phase from Marvel Studios.
This is incredible news! It seems like the fans of the comic saw this coming from a mile away, but it's great to see it will actually happen. I couldn't be more excited and happy that Downey Jr. is coming back for another epic Marvel picture that will change the face of the cineverse. This is huge news for Marvel fans!
The storyline is extremely intense and interesting as it will pit Stark against Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, who is played by Chris Evans. The reason for the feud will be the Superhero Registration Act, which forces anyone with superhuman abilities to reveal their identities to the U.S. government and agree to act as a police force for the authorities. Stark supports the program, and Rogers opposes it because he believes that it threatens civil liberties. This causes all superheroes to choose sides. Rogers, along with a few others, go on the run to avoid being arrested. Stark essentially has a more villainous role in the story.
We will get to see a side of Stark that we've never really seen before on the big screen, and it will be a hell of role for Downey Jr. to take on. This is a great story, and I couldn't be more excited that it's going to be brought into the cinematic universe.
Apparently the deal with Downey Jr. almost didn't happen, and there was some heavy drama behind it. According to the report, "Marvel wanted to hire Downey for a small role, which would have required just three weeks of work. But Downey wanted Stark to have a more substantial role in the film’s plot, which would give him more screen time and naturally a bigger payday. This angered Marvel Entertainment chief Ike Perlmutter, who ordered the screenwriters to write Iron Man out of the script entirely, according to sources with knowledge of the situation."
Damn! That would have been a MAJOR mistake on Marvel's part. I can't believe it even got to that point. Thankfully, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Downey’s reps continued talking in hopes they would work things out. The report says, "Feige was bent on executing his grand vision for extending the life of the Marvel characters over many years."
So far he's succeeded in that, and hopefully he can keep the ball rolling. The site goes on to explain that Feige needed Perlmutter to see the big picture, "considering the introduction of the Civil War story is seen as a way to drive the plots of sequels and new franchises for the next seven years, given the dramatic possibilities it offers for future films. The fallout from the government and Stark’s actions would factor into a new Avengers 4 film and beyond that will assemble new characters being introduced like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, among others, in their own movies."
After all is said and done, Marvel is definitely headed in the right direction, and fans are going to freakin' love them for what they plan on doing. Captain America 3 is set to begin production in the spring, and it will be released on May 6th, 2016. I can't wait to see how this story plays out in the cinematic universe once they get it rolling. This is so exciting! Downey Jr. will appear in Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron, and he has also already signed on to star in Avengers 3.