Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with juicy tidbits about Shane Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Marvel's approach to Iron Man 3 from Black's very own mouth!
I'll let our eyes and ours on the ground, Krullboy, give you the scoop and come back to discuss after:
Hey Harry--
I spent the weekend at the Omaha Film Festival where Shane Black was one of the featured panelists. He spent the weekend talking about his beginnings, his screenwriting process, and his opinions on various films and scripts he has been involved with over the years. Eventually, Iron Man 3 was brought up.
Some highlights:
He is scheduled to meet with Robert Downey Jr. this week when he returns to L.A. Downey will be contributing to the story and Shane will be writing it in addition to directing.
The studio was not happy with the direction Iron Man 2 took. Iron Man 3 will not be another "two men in iron suits fighting each other" film. Instead, it will be more like a Tom Clancy-thriller, with Iron Man fighting real world villians.
Iron Man 3 will be made after The Avengers and will not feature any other heroes from the Marvel Universe. Marvel is only doing crossover characters to lead up to The Avengers, and once that film is released, the plan is to go back to self-containted single-character stories.
You may call me Krullboy.
One, Marvel should be commended for going with Shane Black. I'm sure Downey had a little something something to do with the move, but it's an inspired choice that, if he's allowed to thrive within the system, should result in a fantastic flick.
Two, Black writing the script as well is great news, especially if he's working in collaboration with Downey.
Thirdly, taking Iron Man in a more political thriller direction is a fantastic choice. And methinks The Mandarin would make a great international baddie, yeah? I could see Black going with a more Nolan-ish take on him... less magic and more real-world threat. And we already know that Favreau has peppered references to him into the first two films (The Ten Rings, etc).
I am a little bummed at the absolute decision to stop crossing over franchises post-Avengers. One of the great things about the books and the ability to play in the Marvel Universe is that all these different stories and characters are happening in one reality (or multiple realities if that goddamned Watcher has anything to say about it).
So, that's the latest. Can't wait to see what Black and Downey bang out!
Thanks for the update, Krullboy. Watch them fingers next time you toss that Glaive!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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