There have been rumors that Jon Favreau was done with Marvel and Iron Man since, well, Iron Man came out in theaters. No one has forgotten the uncomfortable and public battle that ensued when Marvel announced Iron Man 2 without Favreau being on board.
But even the wrap of Iron Man 2 didn’t equal a happy ending. Favreau was reportedly upset that Marvel hijacked its plotline to expand the cinematic universe. There were even whispers that he and Robert Downey Jr. weren’t on good terms. Favreau himself began hinting he might not direct Iron Man 3.
Now it all seems to have come to a bitter (if not exactly abrupt) conclusion. According to Vulture, Favreau is indeed out, and Marvel has begun hunting for a new Iron Man 3 director. Some are whispering that it’s a money issue, but it seems more likely that Favreau is dissatisfied with losing control of a character franchise he helped build. “In theory, Iron Man 3 is going to be a sequel or continuation of Thor, Hulk, Captain America and Avengers,” said Favreau to MTV News. “This whole world … I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from conversations I’ve had with those guys.”
A long way from the plans of The Mandarin that he outlined to Devin Faraci and CHUD all those months ago.
It’s sad news. Favreau truly cared about the character. I sat at a roundtable with him. I know he had passion for the character, the fans, and the storyline he was building. It was an enthusiasm that made a “third tier superhero” like Tony Stark a household name with one film. He helped build the Marvel universe and brand. It’s a shame to see it all fall apart in service of a greater and crazier franchise.
ETA — Favreau confirmed that he and Marvel have parted ways, and that he’ll be directing Magic Kingdom instead of Iron Man 3:
19 comments
Iron man 1 didnt deserve the lavish praise heaped upon it. Iron man 2 was downright boring. Ditching Favreau is probably the right thing to do. How bout a fucking adversary in 3?
Devin "Class Act" Faraci is taking credit for calling this over at his terrible new website (which is failing horribly, BTW).
From a pure fanboy perspective Tony Stark is nowhere near a "third tier" superhero as you label him. I understand in terms of box office draw this may have been the case, but inside the Marvel Universe itself he's arguably one of the greatest scientific minds, next to guys like Reed Richards and Bruce Banner, and easily the greatest engineer.
To BLARG (comment #2): I'm curious how you know if Badass Digest is failing. Is that a personal opinion of its quality, or do you have an inside source on its success / profitability?
From a mainstream standpoint, Batman, Spider-Man and Superman are first tier. Wolverine probably makes up the entire second tier on his own. Characters like Iron Man (which are, of course, iconic to you and me) are barely a blip on the mainstream's radar. The first Iron Man film was a gamble that paid off.
Iron Man was an ok and fun film. Part 2 was a mess. Those are the facts, although fanboys will not agree, of course.
@BLARG of course it's failing. I was interested in checking out his website when it first started, but I was embarrassed every time I typed in the name as I'm not a giant manchild.
Favreau just said it himself. All Marvel cares about is building up the Avengers universe but they're just winging it and the characters are suffering for it. They don't have a clear vision and that's why I think all these Marvel films are going to suffer. Anyone who blames Favreau for what was wrong with the second Iron Man film needs to think again. Marvel is like a miniature version of 20th Century Fox where the execs and producers make all the decisions and end up fucking up everything in the process. After the Norton situation and now this, it's clear that Marvel isn't in the movie making business anymore, they're in the "do what we say" business. Let's see how well that works out for them. I'm betting on not too good.
Gahd, FUUUUUUCK the Avengers! So sick of this shit.
He'll come running back to marvel when Cowboys VS Aliens tanks. If there one thing jon is good at, its sucking enough Executive cock to get back into a studio's good graces.
I am getting the impression that Marvel Studios isn't the best place for long term employment considering this same type of thing happened to Edward Norton over Incredible Hulk, which BTW is more rewatchable to me at least, than both Iron Man 1 and 2. Anyways, I'm not the least bit surprised it came to this considering how much they (meaning the studio) F'ed up the last movie. But I am not crying for Favreau, he made a name for himself and got paid. That's all that matters in this land of milk and honey
@BLARG I sort of have to agree with #7… even as someone who appreciated Devin's perspective enough to be interested in his new endeavor, I can't bring myself to go to the new site. It sounds idiotic and will look even more idiotic in my browser history.
While I have no idea how it is doing traffic wise, its not getting my traffic.
also, attempt #10
Chud pageviews per day: 28,079
Badass Digest pageviews per day: 1,590
Chud worth estimated: $170,224
Badass Digest Worth: $17,396
I thought Devin went to AICN? Not being a dick but I haven't even heard of Bad Ass Digest until I walked in here. —————————————————————why did he leave CHUD anyway?
Just read this. Good for Favreau. II sucked and the lack of prep time showed all through the movie. Good riddance.
Loved Iron Man–watched it twice in theaters and once at home. But after seeing IM2 in a theater, I didn't want to watch it again, not even on Blu-Ray. It was so obviously stretched and deformed in unnatural ways to accommodate the advertising of future Marvel products. Not cool. My enthusiasm for Marvel films wanes every day. Thor looks like shit on a stick, although I'll see it at least once as I'm a Branagh fan. Worried about Cap being a pile of crap.
I thought IRON MAN 2 was boring too the first time I saw it, but found it to be quite enjoyable on subsequent viewings. Sorry to see Favreau go.
I go to badassdigest.com every day. It's a new site, so, no, it doesn't get as many hits as chud. But it has Faraci, the former best writer on chud. Besides, the site is owned by the Alamo Drafthouse people, and I'm pretty sure they're not relying on it to make a living.
They're fucking idiots for not keeping Favreau. But the fanboys doesn't seem to understand what he brought to the table anyway, so fuck it. No wonder comics suck ass.
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