Quote:
Originally Posted by
JMulder 
This kind of blows my mind if true. Marvel's shown that they really don't care about recasting key parts in their movies -- I mean, they recast Bruce Banner for God's sake. They play casting hardball specifically because they think their characters shouldn't be tied to any one actor. It seems silly to me that they'll ditch that philosophy and just eliminate the chance of, for example, making another Iron Man film or putting Iron Man in an Avengers sequel just because Downey isn't in the role anymore. The same goes for their other heroes -- just get another dude and keep moving forward. It works. I don't think they necessarily have a finite vision for their franchises (within reason).
Edit: also of these suggestions I personally like Michael Sheen or Benedict Cumberpatch the best. Patrick Dempsey wants the role apparently -- I think that could sort of work, honestly. He's a little old but I do think Strange should sit around the 35ish Tony Stark range, rather than 25ish like Thor and Cap.
I have no doubt that Marvel will recast the role of Iron Man once RDJ vacates, but I wouldn't expect for them to do it immediately. They will likely let the character sit for awhile and focus on other heroes before coming back to him. Just like they announced they are going to do with Blade now that the rights have returned to them. Marvel doesn't want Iron Man forever associated with RDJ, but don't think they will be dumb enough to crank out a Downey-less Iron Man IV two years after Iron Man III if Robert leaves the role. It might do decently, but it would definitely take a big hit due to the lack of his presence.
All of these heroes will be recast on down the line when the contracts are up and the actors don't want to continue with the role. Like I said though, immediate recasts are unlikely.....................especially when Marvel seems intent on jumpstarting enough new franchises (Dr. Strange, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Sub-Mariner, Runaways, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, etc.) that they can just focus on those for awhile and let actor-less roles sleep for a bit. It's easy to not have Iron Man and Thor sequels on your schedule when you can fill those gaps with other characters for a few years and take your time to properly recast the roles.
Hell, if Terrence Howard and Ed Norton hadn't been divas on set and played hardball about sequels, both would still be in their respective roles for future films.
