This was probably a bet no bookie would have taken on, regardless of Joss Whedon saying he wouldn’t do another Avengers movie without Tony Stark on board. Well, we can all rest easy now as Robert Downey, Jr has signed on the dotted line for The Avengers 2 (maybe it’ll be called Avengers Assemble Again over here) and The Avengers 3. Personally and I think this goes without saying, nobody else could really fill Tony Stark’s expensive shoes. On the other hand, no news of an Iron Man 4 movie and whether or not we’ll see RDJ in that, but one would expect it to be a distinct possibility. Avengers 2 will hit in 2015 and I’d imagine an Iron Man 4 movie will arrive up the following year. Pure speculation on my geekness, but none the less.
The press release from Marvel reads as follows…
“I am Iron Man.”
Tony Stark’s famous closing line to the very first Iron Man film takes on new life today as Marvel is pleased to announce the signing of Robert Downey, Jr. to reprise the role of the “billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist.”
Under the two-picture agreement, Downey will star as Tony Stark/Iron Man in “Marvel’s The Avengers 2” and “Marvel’s The Avengers 3.” Downey is represented at CAA by Bryan Lourd, Jim Toth and Matt Leaf and by his attorneys Tom Hansen and Stewart Brookman of the firm Hansen Jacobson.
Downey, Jr.’s last two Marvel films, 2012’s “Marvel’s The Avengers” and this year’s “Iron Man 3,” rank as two of the top five grossing films of all time, collectively earning over $2.7 billion worldwide to date.
“Marvel’s The Avengers 2” is being written and directed by Joss Whedon. Featuring favorites from the first Avengers film and new Marvel characters never before seen on the big screen, “Marvel’s The Avengers 2” is slated to begin production in March 2014 and open in theaters May 1, 2015.
Thrilled by this mega announcement, Marvelites? Well, be sure you stay glued to Marvel.com because in the coming days and weeks and months, Marvel.com will be FIRST in the world to reveal additional casting updates, new characters coming to Marvel movies and so much more — directly from the most secret meetings at Marvel! You wouldn’t want to miss out on that now, would you?!
