Jon Favreau, best known at that time as the director of “Elf,” was brought in to direct an “Iron Man” movie. According to Maisel, he was the key figure in getting Marvel's board to sign off on casting Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role.
Other actors considered the lead were Hugh Jackman, Clive Owen, Timothy Olyphant, and Nicolas Cage! 2. While Jon Favreau would go on the create a great template for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was far from the studio's first choice.
Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark in the Iron Man and Avengers films is iconic, but according to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, Downey was not the first choice to play the billionaire superhero: Clive Owen was.
Why didn t Robert Downey Jr voice Iron Man in What If?
Since his live-action departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr. has made it clear he's no longer involved with the superhero mega-franchise in any capacity. So it only makes sense, at this point, that a brand new voice actor would play the genius tech billionaire in What If...?.
IRON MAN| Robert Downey Jr. Screentest eng / ger sub
Why did Tom Cruise say no to Iron Man?
As it turns out, the absence of Cruise as Tony Stark revolved entirely around a pay dispute. Before the acquisition of the MCU by Disney, the franchise did not have a benefactor willing to provide the money needed to hire an A-list star like Cruise. This led to Downey Jr.
Don Cheadle's James Rhodes, better known as Rhodey, is reportedly set to take on the mantle of Iron Man in the upcoming MCU film 'Armor Wars', slated for a 2026 release. This development was revealed in the series 'Secret Invasion', where it was also shown that Rhodey had been replaced by a Skrull in the past.
Josh was somebody who came up," Gunn said. "I'm a big fan of his work, and he was somebody who came up who really had the weight that you need for somebody like Thanos." But Brolin wasn't the only contender. "We talked about Pauly Shore for a long time.
Tom Hiddleston was one of the many young men who auditioned to play Thor, but Marvel felt he was a better fit for Loki. Those who also tested included Charlie Hunnam, Alexander Skarsgard, Joel Kinnaman, Kevin McKidd, and even WWE star Triple-H.
I had an incredible 10-year run that was creatively satisfying." Downey has repeated that sentiment multiple times, confirming in September 2020 that he was "all done" with Marvel movies.
Because of Downey Jr.'s rocky past, Marvel producers were extremely reluctant to cast him as Iron Man, hence the endless number of stars, such as Tom Cruise, who got offered the role. Cruise turned the offer down because it didn't feel right to him.
The casting choices for Iron Man and other characters could have drastically changed the MCU. Tom Cruise, Timothy Olyphant, Hugh Jackman, and Nicolas Cage were considered for the role, and Rachel McAdams was offered the role of Pepper Potts.
Hiddleston wasn't the only English actor who tried to become MCU's God of Mischief, meanwhile, as Charlie Cox also auditioned for the part. He eventually got to join the Marvel universe when he was cast to play Matt Murdock in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series, Daredevil.
Johnny Depp and Steve Buscemi were reportedly under consideration for the lead. David Duchovny and Jeff Goldblum auditioned for the role. Edward Norton, who went on to play Bruce in The Incredible Hulk, expressed interest in the role but turned it down as he was disappointed with the script.
Before Jeremy Renner was cast as Hawkeye, the producers' first choice for the role was Jensen Ackles, the star of Supernatural. Ackles turned down the role, however, because of scheduling conflicts with Supernatural.
Casting Captain America was a challenge for Marvel as the character didn't have much recognition and seemed outdated. Jensen Ackles, Ryan Phillippe, Garrett Hedlund, Chace Crawford, and John Krasinski all auditioned for the role. Chris Evans eventually accepted the role after Robert Downey Jr.
A ton of actors were considered to play Strange before the producers' first choice finally agreed to do it, including Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Ryan Gosling, Jon Hamm, Ethan Hawke, Jack Huston, Oscar Isaac, Matthew McConaughey, Ewan McGregor, Keanu Reeves, and Justin Theroux.
Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, and Gary Oldman were all considered for the role of Hank prior to the eventual casting of Michael Douglas. Oldman, of course, previously played Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy.
In the end, it didn't happen, as we could see. “I love Tom Cruise, and I said to Kevin Feige at one point, I was like, 'Could we get Tom Cruise's Iron Man?” he added. “I just don't think it was ever an option, because of availability.” Feige reportedly replied. Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. confirmed that Iron Man 4 is indeed in the works. While negotiations continue for his return, this would mark his 7th appearance in a standalone Marvel movie and his 9th outing as Tony Stark in total. Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party.
Chris Evans Says 'No One's Spoken to Me' About Returning as Captain America for Future Marvel Movies. Jack Smart is the Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. With 10 years of experience as an entertainment journalist, he previously worked at The A.V.
Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise are two of the biggest actors in Hollywood. The two have given multiple blockbusters in their respective acting careers. Even though the two have worked together in one film, Tropic Thunder, over the years, they share a great bond of friendship.
It ultimately turned out to be just that: A rumor. Even though he didn't appear in the multiversal film, those rumors have persisted as fans have wondered if we could see him cameo in a future MCU film.
However, there are several reasons, both in-universe and on a meta level, that explain why Tony couldn't simply whip up Iron Man sets for everyone. From technological barriers to personal fears and paranoia, giving every Avenger an Iron Man suit simply wouldn't have worked.
