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Quint interviews Jon Favreau about all things IRON MAN and even a little something about JOHN CARTER OF MARS!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with an interview I did with Jon Favreau shortly before he did his panel at Comic-Con for IRON MAN, his next flick. We had less than 10 minutes to chat, but below you'll find tons of info on how they're tackling IRON MAN and even an update on what's happening with JOHN CARTER OF MARS. Enjoy!!!
QUINT: Do you know how long we have?
JON FAVREAU: I don't... I think we have a nice amount of time, though... How long do we... (looks around). I don't even know where my peeps are...
QUINT: (I call to Karl, a rep from Paramount who has hung with me on many Paramount set visits) Hey, Karl! How long do we have?
KARL: Oh, you have, like, 8 minutes.
QUINT: Okay...
JON FAVREAU: Opulent.
QUINT: So, who's playing Tony Stark?
JON FAVREAU: I don't know yet.
QUINT: Thought I'd give it a shot...
JON FAVREAU: I'll tell you who the bad guy is, though.
QUINT: Oh yeah? Who's the bad guy?
JON FAVREAU: The bad guy is going to be The Mandarin. So, that's what we're toying with now.
QUINT: Are you announcing that on the panel?
JON FAVREAU: I don't know. If somebody asks I'll answer. I think it'll blow people's minds, too, because they're so used to nobody giving any information out. I'll just say, "Hey. It's 2 years out. It's too early to really start talking about anything..." and if somebody says, "Who's the bad guy?" I'll say, "It's The Mandarin." They're used to people playing it so close to the vest here.
They're going to know by the casting breakdown anyway, when they see we want an Asian man, mid-30s to play the villain in IRON MAN. They're going to figure it out.
QUINT: I've read lots of IRON MAN, but mostly within other books like AVENGERS, I never really got into his own series as a kid...
JON FAVREAU: I hadn't either. That's the same way I was.
QUINT: With other Marvel heroes, I can picture their most notable villain... Wolverine has Sabretooth, Captain America has The Red Skull, Spider-Man has about a dozen... But with IRON MAN I can't picture him with his arch-nemesis, but that could just be my ignorance of the book. The only other character I remember him fighting at one point is maybe Ultron or War Machine.
JON FAVREAU: And he's not even a bad guy, really. He's kind of his friend, Rhodes, you know? And we definitely want to explore that eventually, but... You know, the gift and the curse of IRON MAN is that there's no definitive story line or set of villains for this guy. What people are more concerned about is that you get the character of Tony Stark right and that the suit's right, the look is right. Which is really freeing from a filmmaking standpoint because you're not being tied to a certain... uh...
QUINT: He doesn't have his Black Suit Saga, he doesn't have his Dark Phoenix Saga...
JON FAVREAU: That's right. Exactly. You know, look at X-MEN 3, how much heat they caught on not doing Phoenix exactly as it was in the books. It's a lot of pressure. With this as long as we get the right look and the right guy playing Tony and tell it in a real way, I think the fans will all really embrace what we do.
QUINT: Are you going to go for a star for the role of Tony Stark?
JON FAVREAU: I think we're going for... We just hired the casting director last week. We sort of had it narrowed down. We're probably not going to go with a guy who's bigger than the title. Somebody that would overpower the title.
QUINT: Johnny Depp in that category now?
JON FAVREAU: (smiles) Johnny Depp, you know... You make room for a guy like Johnny Depp. But, no it's not going to be Johnny Depp. But then you don't want somebody who is a complete unknown that you're trusting...
QUINT: That you're praying to God is going to turn into Brandon Routh or Hugh Jackman...
JON FAVREAU: That's right. I don't have that kind of eye like Bryan Singer, where I trust my instincts so much that I'll let a guy carry a movie. So, you're looking for people with a body of work who has got experience. If you're looking for somebody in their 30s you're going to find people who have done a lot of work... and somebody hasn't totally hit yet or never really got the chance to anchor a movie of this size. So, that's what we're exploring now. People with a body of work who might be a great actor, but aren't necessarily viewed by the studios as though they sort of make a movie happen.
QUINT: So, which Stark are you portraying? The mean drunk or the desperately ill or...
JON FAVREAU: I think it starts off as the oblivious arms manufacturer who gets a huge dose of reality when he's taken into captivity and he's a hostage in Afghanistan. I think he starts to understand the ramifications of the way he's been living his wife when he's exposed to that degree of reality and try to play that as real as possible. And, of course, we're going to really explore the injury and how that affects you, not knowin'... Well, it depends how far you go with it. There are certain story lines in the books where he doesn't know if any given day is going to be his last because of this Sword of Damocles hanging over him. And then sometimes you totally forget the fact that he's got a piece of shrapnel workin' its way towards his aorta.
So, we'll have to find the right balance with that.
QUINT: So, I saw the poster... Red and Gold for the suit, yeah?
JON FAVREAU: Yeah, Red and Gold. We're going to start with the Grey and then we're going with the Red and Gold. I think we're going to go circular chest piece and we're definitely inspired by the Adi Granov stuff and he's actually working on the suit design with us.
QUINT: So, when you say "start with the grey," you don't mean a grey version of the Red and Gold suit, but the big, clunky dome thing, right?
JON FAVREAU: Yeah. We're going to go low-tech. We're going to have to believe that he built it in captivity.
QUINT: Will it look like his first appearance suit?
JON FAVREAU: Well, it's a... it's a... Look. It's going to be so hard... Just the idea that they just sort of brush over in the books, which is... instead of building a bomb, "While I was pretending to build a bomb, I built this war suit, this tech-armor." It's like, "What kind of bomb were you building that looked like that? With eye slits on it and arms." And then they snapped it together at the last minute.
So, I think you gotta go pretty low-tech to help swallow that jagged pill.
QUINT: Are you going to go for a CGI/practical mix ?
JON FAVREAU: Mostly CG, I think.
QUINT: So, a kind of inverse on what you did with ZATHURA, where you had mostly practical with some CG...
JON FAVREAU: That's right. I think you gotta do Iron Man CG most of the time, but with that in mind, you have to do everything else practical. You have to treat the camera as if you're shooting something real. I think if you look at KING KONG... I mean, I really believe what they were able to do with KONG and he was completely, 100% virtual. Because it has to do with the way the performance capture was done, it has to do with the way it was covered, it has to do with the use of mid-ground miniatures and practical plates and that's what helped sell it.
QUINT: I think it might be more of a tough time bring Iron Man to life, since he doesn't have eyes. Kong's expressions and eyes made him the real character to me.
JON FAVREAU: But the surfaces will read as true and the suit will read as real. It's much easier to show something inorganic in CG than it is with something with fur or skin or even a man in tights. If there's any character the lends himself to doing it CG it would be a robotic suit, it would be Iron Man.
QUINT: Is The Mandarin the only villain? Are you doing a one villain/one hero film?
JON FAVREAU: Ahh... sort of... (laughs).
QUINT: Supporting characters?
JON FAVREAU: Rhodey (James Rhodes), Pepper Potts, Obadiah Stane... those are the core. I think that there's mixtures and fusions of things, but that's what it is. A lot of homework is being done and there will definitely be some layers in there for people who are fans of the books.
QUINT: What's going on with JOHN CARTER OF MARS?
JON FAVREAU: I want it to be next. I just visited (Edgar Rice Burroughs') grandson and showed all the art work to him and they loved what we were doing. The fact that (IRON MAN) is a Paramount project and (JOHN CARTER) is a Paramount project, I'm really hoping I can sort of segue right from one into the other.
QUINT: IRON MAN might make a good step between ZATHURA and JOHN CARTER.
JON FAVREAU: I think it is. We'll see how much they want to do IRON MAN 2! Let's see how excited they get about Carter because I would do more of these, you know, but I really... You know, Carter has really turned into a labor of love. I really have grown to love that character and that franchise and I think we really broke the story and the visuals, so I'm ready to make that one.
Once again, Favreau says all the right things, at least to me, but I'm no hardcore IRON MAN fanatic. I want to see a badass IRON MAN movie the same way I want to see a badass GHOST RIDER movie. I'm not married to the character, but I think they could look fuckin' killer on the big screen. Plus, I'm with Cap'n in this whole Civil War thing. Fuck Iron Man! hehe
Hope you folks enjoyed the interview. I have many more to bring you from my time at Comic-Con. They'll start bombarding the site this weekend!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
quint@aintitcool.com
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Jul 29, 2006 5:54:08 AM CDT
Still waiting for Marvel to sell off the licenses to..
by seppukudkurosawa
Diamond Head, Dreadknight and American Eagle movies... I'm thinking that Ghost Rider and Iron Man might be one comic book adaptation too far. Typical Whoreywood, they find a good thing and milk the last drop of blood from its rancid carcass.
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Well then, crap boobs crap. I hate the fact that comic film makers have to compromise to please retarded comic fans (of which I am one). Batman Returns is totally the best superhero movie. Penis.
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Favreau doesn't want to do Elf 2 if I recall. Big mistake pal! You think people want to see a man made of iron? Please. A semi-retarded Elf! That's the ticket to fame and fortune. Dont say I didnt warn you.
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I heard.
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So Quint, you and Jon both agreed that 'Ironman' lacks any major, well known or great storylines, lacks great villians and a film about a man in a robot suit is going to be done with expensive CGI?!? With the state of comic films as they are where a sequel to 'Superman' ('SUPERMAN' FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!) is "iffy" due to the poor return at the boxoffice, why in the name of all that is holy to comic nerds (or closeted one like me) has 'Ironman' got a green light instead of, I don't know, 30-50 better known and simply better comic stories? Including 'AVENGERS!!' I want 'Ironman' walking around like Robocop, some guy in a robot costume! Not some dumb CGI shit! Look at 'The Rocketeer' for fucks sake - a film which wasn't polluted with CGI and was a great comic film (for it's time)! I finally saw 'Superman' last night (it opened in Prague Thursday) and I thought it was slow and dull sometimes but simply great and funny throughout. I'll still support it because I like Singer's work and I support comic book films if I can. If they don't look lame like 'Daredevil' or worse yet 'Catwoman.' It sounds like there's little passion or personal interest behind the director as well, so I'm still left choking on those three little words,.. WHY!?!
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Quint, "Plus, I'm with Cap'n in this whole Civil War thing." I don't understand, what have I missed?
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Because Ironman is fucking awesome, mate! Read some, understand, all your questions will be answered.
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Thank goodness they are going to do Iron Man with CG...they should have done the same with Thing for the FF movie and he woudln't have looked so stupid. People will always cry that the CG looks too "fake", but they are idiots, and should be ignored.
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Iron Man is a good, strong character who's been a linchpin of the Marvel Universe seemingly forever. There's a reason why the editors and writers went with Iron Man vs. Cap for the Civil War thing instead of dragging out yet another compnay wide "event" starring Wolverine and the other mutants.
Its not about the story arcs or the villains, Tony Stark is a richly developed character and that's something worth seeing. -
He gets a lifetime pass for Swingers even with the kiddie movies he directs. For some reason, I have some faith in him for this project. He maybe seems geeky enough to get it..time will tell.
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Jul 29, 2006 7:06:13 AM CDT
Iron Man is Lee Scratch Perry's favourite comic book
by seppukudkurosawa
character, because the rastaman is a people funny boy when it comes to comic books: "I'm a big fan of Superman, Batman, Daredevil, Spiderman and especially Iron Man. What I like about them is they don't let the government or the police or the church brainwash or control them, they're international superheroes who believe in freedom and democracy. Whenever I'm in the studio, I think of them and try to channel their powers."
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of personal passion for the project might actually be a good thing. ***If they follow the "begins" recepie of having the first 1/2 the film be an origin story, I'm curious to see how they are going to make the Mandarin work as a villian. Call me interested but I'll wait for casting news before I really start to care.
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My arguement with CGI in my post was about it's cost, not quality. I know it can look great and keep characters from looking dumb (The Thing in FF was a good example, not that he should have been CGI, but he was with make-up and looked dumb, although his voice is what irritated me the most). And to somewhat support George Lucas, it's about 'suspending your disbelief' and 'how a character is presented isn't as important as how strong a character he/she/it is.' And I would love to read some more 'Ironman,' however it's not going to happen in the forseeable future due to my current and developing interests. I'm not for a moment putting 'Iron Man' down, I think he's a great character, especially in an 'AVENGERS' cast. Just thinking about the marketability of the film and it's possible failure with fans, at creating new fans only from the film, and what that will do to the future financing of comic films. I hope to the comic Gods and Endless Beings that all of that "fucking awesome" 'Ironman' shit is all consolidated into one film as if they're only be one, instead of the wide open endings and 'I've got time in the sequel to continue this storyline and wrap that up' stuff that Superman seemed to suffer from and which ruined the ending of 'Matrix: Reloaded' as a stand alone film - which any good film needs to be.
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Just watched Elf yesterday. Very funny at times, kinda akward at others
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"look at X-MEN 3, how much heat they caught on not doing Phoenix exactly as it was in the books" - Just to correct that misconception, the heat they got was on doing it so BADLY, so half-assed that they ruined the story for the next 20 years of potential X-Men movies. No-one expected bird-alien empires, just something true to the spirit of it. Now, we can't even hope. But it's funny how even good film-makers will stick up for the hacks, I guess they know how tough it is.
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They are insane if they don't use "Iron Man" from Sabbath in this movie, at least once.
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I doubt he'd do it, but I think he could be Stark.
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in the same category as Hugh Jackman, much less Christopher Reeve. Routh's would be more likely to become an "overnight star" if the movie he starred in hadn't been such a colossal, inert downer. A lot of bad movies have overshadowed the good performances in them -- and conversely, some undeserving performances have been elevated to star status when the movie happened to catch on with the public (particularly endemic to child stars, e.g. Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone).
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Jesus, that dude's blown up like a goddamn polar bear. Also, Swingers is one hell of a good fucking flick.
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Sorry, but Favs doesn't convince me. I fell asleep during Zathura, a very one-dimenisonal film. He should be directing CSI, not big budget films.
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Timothy Olyphant is the right age (38), played a swag of supporting roles, shown his acting chops on Deadwood, and most importantly can pull off the 'stach. Plus he is a friend of Jon Favreau, appearing in the Favreau hosted episode of "Dinner for Five". If that fails Billy Crudup would be a fine backup choice.
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Jul 29, 2006 10:29:13 AM CDT
I hope this is a hit, so Exo-Man can get a DVD release
by declan_swartz
http://tinyurl.com/kojrj
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http://tinyurl.com/n8x77
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And sneek a copy of the script to someone at AICN for their review before you start filming it. If the script doesn't blow them away, don't film it. The world doesn't need another disaster like FF.
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I remember a few months ago he had this big talk as far as John Carter is concerned and now that's not happening for another few years.. I'll believe it when they start shooting in Febuary. But I do like Tony Stark's character, could be good if done right...
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Man I was just scrolling down to see if anyone else suggested Billy Crudup - he would be great in the part. I always found Tony Stark a bit of a prick to be honest, even before the whole Civil War stuff that's going on now. And dumping your pregnant wife for ugly Clare Danes is a nice foot in the door. Only kidding - but he does look the part, right age, good actor etc I bet they cast Jin from Lost as The Mandarin though.
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Hey the Cruiser was talking about doing this for years - he was interviewed by Jonathan Ross on TV in the UK (I think he was promoting War of the Worlds so it was fairly recent) and Ross asked him about Iron Man. They'd discussed it the last time he interviewed him. Cruise was like, no we tried for a long time but we just couldn't make it happen. That's Tom fucking Cruise. But Foggy Nelson can?? What's going on? Anyone know?
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Cruise supposivly bowed out because his face wouldn't be seen while he was wearing the custome. Which would have meant drastic suit redesigns, mask changes etc. So it was a good thing he bowed out. Plus keep in mind Favreau said they wanted someone that wouldn't be bigger then Iron Man, like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt for example, because they were too recognizable basically. I personally would pick someone like Karl Urban from LOTR and The Bourne Supremecy. An actor that has a lot of talent but fairly overlooked and underestimated by Hollywood. Just my thought really.
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with Iron Man: arms dealer with a conscience (Childe Roland may be pleased). If they are going to get into the morality of bomb building, and who is building the bombs, etc., I hope they carefully think it through instead of regurgitating the sound bite version.
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Like I said, if it's the sound bite version, don't waste our time. However, the way Favreau described it (along with a bit of my imagination) I was picturing Tony being captured and forced to make nuke delivery device, or something along those lines, developing a conscience and then using the Iron Man prototype he built instead to escape. Anyway, I thought the way they included the grey suit was pretty clever, actually!
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But that's because he wanted his guys to take over the world, not the Commies.
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But so's Wesley Snipes. It could still work.
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curious to hear your thoughts! I'm out for now but will be back later. Have a good one!
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Yeah I guessed it would be something like that. Still I like the idea of the Cruiser with a 'tache. Not enough moustaches in cinema these days. Or comics for that matter. Actually there's a good reason for NOT having Depp as Iron Man - his moustache efforts have generally been very poor. Hmmm...I should stop now, this whole post sounds incredibly homosexual.
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...but not as Tony Stark. Billy Crudup would be a perfect John Carter. Every time a JC talkback pops up I make it a point to pimp his name for the role, so there it is: Billy Crudup IS John Carter!
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Someone needs to look into getting Tom Selleck to de-age a couple of decades and grow that mustache back.
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I dig Iron Man (though Tony Stark can be a real dick), but I'd love to see ROM on the silver screen.
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Jul 29, 2006 1:43:36 PM CDT
Let's not kid ourselves, tache will be the first to go
by drmanhattansunit
Even Farrell in Miami Vice has a little soul patch to go with his handlebars... a solo tache on a movie lead? Not since Prince of Darkness.
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But part one and two were so great I became a fan. Parth 3? I dont want to talk about it. I became interested in the character of Blade after that movie. Will Iron Man become a hit? Im not sure. I like Iron Man as much as DareDevil. I think not ever character is effective on there own. I think Iron Man only works in a Team up or Marvel Universe Movie. On his own he is kind of boring. But in the Civil War comics or Avenger Comics he is very interesting. How he wants to be a leader and do the right thing. While in constent battle with his other heros. So am I looking foward to this movie? Right now...no. Spiderman 3, Batman, and the Wolverine movie have my attention. This movie might be another Dare Devil, Electra, or Punisher movie. Something that just does not hit the mark.
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I mean, far be it from me to cry "brown wolf" at every turn, but seriously, can we not agree that Mandarin is a huge racial stereotype of Asian people? Is he gonna have a Dragon Lady girlfriend? Will he secretly run a laundry service? Sheesh, people.
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...when I was a kid, not too knowledgeable about villians etc, but after seeing THE MATADOR, I'm convinced Pierce Brosnan would be dead on as Tony Stark. Fuck Johnny Depp. I'm glad to see Jon nixed that one. NO pretty boys please.
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I would be there, at the theater opening day for that one. There were a lot of similarities between him and Silver Surfer if memory serves. Yeah, I dug it.
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This could be cool. I liked Iron Man growing up reading the comics (especially Avengers). To get a late-30's nearly well-known would be awesome and could become a big franchise. Don't worry about the racial stereotyping s00p3rm4n (Supes, WWII???). I'm sure Mandarin won't be as cookie-cutter, one-dimensional as any baddie from the Rush Hour movies.
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of comic book movies, WHERE THE FUCK IS MY THOR MOVIE??? Weren't we promised that a decade or so ago? WTF???
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Even if it were CG animated, like crazy Final Fantasy Advent Children style, it'd be amazing!
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JON FAVREAU: "But the surfaces will read as true and the suit will read as real. It's much easier to show something inorganic in CG than it is with something with fur or skin or even a man in tights. If there's any character the lends himself to doing it CG it would be a robotic suit, it would be Iron Man." -- Damn strait! Now go make us a great IRON-MAN flick!
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Favreau is like Oprah when it comes to body mass. Fat, thin, fat, thin . . . .
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I wonder just how long this superhero movie craze is going to last? Not counting franchises pre-existing, of course that would only be Batman and Superman prior 1999, how many more superhero movies/franchise can the public accept before this genre starts to fizzle?
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It will be pretty damn lazy if they use the song Iron Man for the movie. Maybe reference the song in the dialogue or something, but don't use the tune.
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Oh yes! It would be awesome to see the noble Galadorian dispatching those shape shifting Wraith with the neutralizer up on the big screen. CGI is so advanced these days, this could easily be brought to life. I'm down with it.
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That was on here a few days ago?
I've heard that trailer was garbage but every movie website wants Watchmen news in the future so they said it was awesome. -
that I'm actually excited about (not counting sequels). I wasn't crazy about Zathura, but there were parts of that movie where you could tell Favreau had some real skill. A known actor in his thirties who has yet to anchor a movie? This may sound crazy, but go with me on this one, Jason Lee? I know the guy has only done comedies, but he's supposed to be an actor so maybe he could pull it off.
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That would be alcoholism, of course. Actually I do think the Mandarin is as close as it gets to THE corresponding super-villain to the character of Iron Man. As portrayed in the comics, he's pretty racist. But Favreau made some comment, somewhere, that seemed to indicate that they were (thankfully) shying away from that interpretation.
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good interview, though. i'm kind of interested in iron man; a drunk arms dealer superhero--that could be interesting.
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sorry. that got cut off. the subject lines get clipped but the talkback lines can go to a million characters. ace coding.
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Only if he plays it exactly like Earl Hickey. The Mandarin can teach him about karma
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I was just watching the Matador the other week, and agree that Brosnan is a dead ringer for Stark in that movie. But alas, too old. Clive Owen maybe? I'm not sure how well he pulls off a stash.
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please, please, please, please, love yeah Fav's.
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Should have asked him why he thinks tony stark is being such a cockeater in the new civil war comic books, talkin about how the superhero's need to give up their civil liberties and shit....... damn republicanized tony stark........everyone's going on about how great this new civil war comix is but i think its shit. Two things the comic world needs to stear clear from are religion and politics... I dont need to know Peter Parker is a god damn filthy republican... it pisses me off. I dont need to know Tony Stark is a cockeater... pisses me off,..... should have asked him if he's going to make tony stark into a republican bitch.
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that's my pick.
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sounds to me like this is being made because it can be. Its like someone was digging through the drawers and found a script, "Hey fellas, get to work!" This isnt being made because someone desperately wants to do it and has dreamed of nothing else their entire carrer. Its not being made because the story is so amazing and original that it demands to be told. Its being made cause theres a little bit of cash to be had from it. Its just another five by five superhero movie. Even the people involved with teh production arent that crazy over it. Favreau is just like, "Yeah, I could do that." There's got to be a way to do this and have it be exciting instead of ACT ONE- Hero gets power, ACT TWO- Hero fights villan, ACT THREE- Hero kills villan. Thats just so fucking redundant now, after all the stale superhero films weve been subjected to the next ones got to have more.
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DAMN straiiiiiiiiight
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Is IMs #1 villain!
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I'll say it again! You know, Iron man is really cool but not so much in his own series. He's only really been entertaining as a member of the avengers and better then that, the Ultimates. He's like Data in Star-trek except now we're getting the Data movie. Yuck. I know, no one except me likes the Ultimates, and everyone wants an Iron man with a face-plate that no human skull could fit comfortably in. A super-hero thats persona is a drunk bruce-waynish type, whooopppeee-doooo. Now that's great fodder for plot-lines, let me tell yah. So whatever, make whatever damn movie you want it'll still suck. Cause we all know this whole thing has Hulk/Daredevil stench all over it.
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Perfect choice. First Wild Bill, next Mandarin. Watch out.
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That superhero movie was called 'Superman Returns,' and geeks hated it. Before that, it was called 'Hulk.' I don't believe that film geeks, especially the kind who gravitate towards superhero fare, want something new. Though they may pretend that their tastes are discriminating, I suspect that most of them are perfectly comfortable with the three-act superhero outline being perpetually plagiarized to diminishing creative returns. Granted, 'Superman Returns' and 'Hulk' had a slew of their own problems, but a lot of negative comments hurled at both of them had to do with the fact that neither of them had a proper villain or "smashed" enough. They also both wasted too much time on feelings and crap -- a complaint you also see leveled at the Spider-Man series.
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Is number one, yeah, we're reaching overkill with superhero flicks. And two, to many, Iron Man feels like the bottom of the barrel as far as source material is concerned. But, that has a lot to do with timing. If this was 1979, Iron Man would be the top of the barrel because that's when the character was most popular. And, perhaps some younger folks weren't around to know, but Iron Man was really, really popular for a time. He's lost a lot of steam over the years. But, perhaps this could be the jumpstart he needs. To me, Iron Man always seemed to be the most "adult" comic I was reading at the time, as it constantly dealt with some real adult themes (addiction, politics vs. morality, ingenuity vs. greed) in a pretty head-on manner. The fact that Favreau is most known for family fare initially scared me. But, upon reading some of his interpretation of the material (as someone said: Lord of War meets Batman Begins) my hope is rekindled. I always thought that out of all the superheros, Iron Man could make the most satisfying flick. Exciting in it's action elements, complex in it's more cerebral elements. So even though the character may be past prime, I'm hoping Favreau can realize a movie, with a nice, even mix of action, morality, and brains, that will put Stark back in the spotlight. I was a fan back then, maybe this movie can make me a fan once again.
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Proven by my shaky photoshop skills, so he's my pick http://www.murderswan.com/owen-stash.jpg
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Warm up the virgins.
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Clive Owen is perfect for it. Because he`s enough of a star that this role won`t link him to all he`s ever going to do after(Hugh Jackman let`s face it, hasn`t lived out of Wolverine`s shadow). But Owen is also not known enough to overshadow this character. In term of casting you believe Clive Owen can command a business empire. Owen, like Tony Stark is a throwback to the old school stars like Clark Gable, men of integrity and determination. But really it`s the mix of machizmo and intelligence that we can`t seem to find anymore in movies. Guys like Gable and Mitchum could kick you ass but were not Stallone-like neanderthals: they could act, do nuances. It takes a man like that to represent the quintessental Captain of Industry. Clive Owen got that.
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My vote is for Timothy Olyphant. He's the perfect look and nationality. He also happens to be *ahem* funny.
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his best villian was Stane.
As for a great saga, there is one.
Stane turns gets him off wagon, takes over SI, and Rhodes becomes Iron Man, Tony recovers and battles it out with Rhodes who lost it and finnaly takes down Stane. Iron Man roughly #160's-200. Some of the best comics I've read -
Check out his pic on IMDB. If that isn't the spitting image of Stark. I wrote a treatment for New World when they owned the rights and I had Iron Man fight Titanium Man. Best villian. Also, I pushed for Michael Nouri to play Stark and an up and coming actress named Julia Roberts as Pepper Potts. Amazing how studio execs are just so damn smarter than the creative people. Faverau would be a good choice as Happy Hogan though.
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...and stop wasting time with this f*cking Favreau CLOWN. This guy is an idiot. So what if ELF did well at the B.O. Zathura BOMBED. Why is Paramount giving IRON MAN to this so-called director. HE should stick to ELF 2. Don't touch IRON MAN. Stay away from JOHN CARTER OF MARS. What the hell is wrong with you, Executive Producer Harry Knowles??? Can't you see Favreau is a hack????? Oh, and remember that episode of the Apprentice, featuring this clown? He was a pompous jerk, and acted like an ass. Who the f@ck did he think he was? Who the f@ck is he?? He is a NOBODY. I don't understand why Harry Knowles is associated with this untalented HACK. Can't you see he is going to destroy some of the most popular scifi and comic book properties. Why are you talkbackers so in favor of this HACK? Why are there no negative comments against him? Well, let me start it then: John Favreau, FUCK YOU!
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Isn't it obvious who he's alluding to for this movie? Josh Harnett will be Iron Man. You just wait and see.
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So, my choice for someone who looks smart enough to make the suit and yet strong enough to run Stark Industry: Gerard Butler. Second choice: Matthew Fox.
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If this isn't Tony Stark... I don't know who is? http://www.gerard-butler.net/4images/details.php?image_id=20094 - and he's at Comicon in this last week. Somebody get him on the damn phone. Look, the 2 most underappreciated actors in the US.
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would be a perfect cast indeed.
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I'll be generous and say a little under half a year..
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I feel like I see the guy everywhere and yet still hardly know who he is. He's not going to be a star, ever. Eventually he'll be showing up on sci-fi channel movies opposite Lance Henrikson and Coolio.
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Iron Man will probably be an atrocious movie as will Ghost Rider and damn near every other comic movie that will ever be made. Doing a cg Iron Man is a mistake but I guess Favreau's another one of these bitch whipped easy way out kind of directors. Just put a man in a fucking suit. Not only would it look better, it would also save time. CG will always look like fake shit because it IS fake.
CGI will be the death of film in the long run...mark my words! -
...he sure knows how to play a charismatic asshole.
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http://stlcomics.com/osc/catalog/images/avengersann7.21006.jpg
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http://www.leaderslair.com/ironman/ironman116.jpg
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If Favereau doesn't see it he's blind. Hell weren't they both at the Comicon. They should have been talking right then. he'd be pefect as Shell-Head.
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Gerard Butler's a handsome and charismatic man, but I can't see him selling the whole "tech wiz/ arms tycoon" angle of Tony Stark's character at all. Nor can I see him ever being able to disguise that thick Scottish brogue of his (this is the part where someone tells me that he already has, probably).
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The Mandarin is an alias and nothing more.
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Fuck you, ya commie pinko fuck. Gotta trash ("Republican bitch") anyone with an opion different than you? Real fucking tolerant, you prick. On topic, this sounds tight. I can't wait until more info starts trickling out re: casting, script, filming, etc.
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But this, in terms of mass consciousness, is a marginal to non-existent superhero property. I think the only way for it to make summer money IS to have a big name attached, because there's no brand name to really overshadow.
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say the Mandarin is racist, I do not agree with this characterization myself. It was a title for an official in Imperial China, it is also a Chinese dialect, etc. It could easily be an individual who takes an historic name with the desire to overthrow the current government and reestablish Imperial China. While it may be correct that artistic depictions of the Mandarin in comics were somewhat racist, the character itself is not.
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...for John Carter. Oh, and SR rules.
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He's a Brit, but so what. Also, Josh Lucas, who I think is charming enough to carry a movie (of course he will need a dye job). Also, Marc Blucas for Captain America!
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I think if they don't want the superhero genre to die a painful death, they will move in this direction. My first request is Maguire's Spider-Man and Evans's Human Torch in an adaptation of the recent Spider-Man/Human Torch: I'm With Stupid by Dan Slott directed by Sam Raimi. You know it to be true!
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People who criticize the idea of politically correct, rather than extreme versions of politically correct, don't understand it. Being politically correct has been around forever, it just didn't have the label of politically correct. People have been changing the language used when talking about race for all kinds of reasons, and not all of them have been liberal. For example, in the slave era south slaveowners would often claim that their slaves were merely a part of an extended family. They claimed that the slaves would have been unable to take care of themselves in the outside world, but as a part of the slaveowner's extended family they were provided food and shelter. Of course, many of these slaveowners probably talked about slaves differently behind closed doors, but they were using language to change ideas about race. As you can see, being politically correct can be used to further conservative means. Today many conservatives use another form of politically correct by stating that we should all be color blind, and use this as a means to attack affirmative action. I consider this an extreme form of being politically correct because it actually stiffles the discussion of race. On the other hand, there is no problem with the basic idea of being politically correct because racial epithets are offensive to many people and shouldn't be used in polite conversation. As with most things being politically correct should be used in moderation. As far as the Mandarin goes, I think that there have been versions of him that are offensive, but I don't necessarily believe that the character itself has to be offensive. You can definitely make a non-racist version of The Mandarin.
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Yep.
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I'm not terribly familiar with Olyphant. And, while he's seems to get enough votes to convince me he'd make a fine Stark, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Owen would make an awesome Stark. He IS Stark. As stated, he could do the machismo and the arrogance, while still giving the character intellect, conflict, morality, and pathos. In other words, he could play the shit out of Stark. Anyone else in the part to be a let down. When I first heard Bale's name as a possibility for Batman, I knew there was no one else for the part. It had to be him. Well, I feel the same way about Owen with Stark.
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And yes, I agree he is spot on.
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I like most of what Favreau says in this interview; he seems to have a good viewpoint about the project. My only exception is the use of CG. Use practical effects as much as possible. CG inevitably looks like a form of pseudo-animation, and takes people out of the film in terms of believability. Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins is the gold standard for a serious superhero movie, which is what this should be. Someone mentioned making this movie a cross between Lord of War and Batman Begins. Good call. An Iron Man movie should be like a superhero version of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller. The Mandarin is a good villain; his powers should be purely technological, not mystical, and he should be sort of like a rogue Bond villain, bent on destruction and/or taking over the world. Stark himself has always been a sort of Republican superhero. He is, as someone else here said, an arms-maker with a conscience. He is also a hard-drinking, womanizing billionaire playboy who flys around in a high-tech suit of armor blowing shit up and defending his version of America and global stability (and should some respond that we should not politicize these characters, I would say two things: one, I am not a Republican myself, so I am not proseltyzing; and two, Stark/Iron Man has always been this way: a practical, hard-nosed businessman, often contrasted with his more idealistic comrade and rival in the Avengers, Captain America). Anyway, this movie should not be made for kids, but should be made and marketed like a superhero Bond movie. Cut the CG as much as possible, and make the armor as real and believable as possible, and have a lot of high-tech (satellites, weapons, etc), and a lot of blowing stuff up real good. In between explosions, show the human side of Stark fighting his demons and living the good life of a billionaire playboy. I'll maybe make more comments and casting ideas later...
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Eventualy no one is going to care about the ongoing antics of all these superhero movies, unless they can come up with something different than usual formula. I agree with superninja, teamups are going to be the only thing left to keep the franchises afloat. Imagine having an Avengers movie one year followed by a World's Finest the next, studios need to think of how much money could be raked in.
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Team-up movies are generally only feasible if the major characerts have already been introduced in prior films. After the Wonder Woman movie gets made, maybe Warners could consider making a JLA movie, but the costs could be prohibitive. Better to continue making good Batman movies, trying to make Superman movies that pay, maybe more modestly budgeted movies for second-string characters (I have always believed that Green Arrow could be a gritty, medium-budget action movie if done properly, sort of the DC Comics version of Blade, ie a mid-range mvoie franchise). Likewise, for an Avengers movie to be made, you would probably have to have made a decent Iron Man flick, a good Captain America movie, and so on. It might be possible to make these movies, but it will be difficult to make them well. Oh, also, it is dumb to make an Ant-Man movie. The character is strictly third-tier at best, and Hank Pym (Ant-Man/Giant Man/Yellowjacket) should never appear outside of an Avengers movie. His story is important only in the context of the Avengers mythos, and is generally irrelevant as a stand-alone character. Marvel is better off making a good Iron Man movie, a top-flight Captain America movie set in WWII, and then some mid-range flicks based on second-tier stand-alone characters like Doctor Strange, Cloak and Dagger, even Hawkeye, who is at least vaguely interesting apart from his role in the Avengers, unlike Ant-Man. Oh, and lastly, Warners should make a serious space epic type movie out of Green Lantern. The prior idea to make a comedy out of Green Lantern starring Jack Black is stupid beyond words. If you want to make a super-hero comedy, use a super-hero character that is intended to be humorous, like Plastci Man. Green Lantern could be one of Warner's flagship super-hero properties, if handled right. It would be a real waste to throw the character away with a misguided attempt to misuse the character comedically. Make a Plasticman movie starring Jim Carrey or something if you want to do comedy and super-heroes. Or, if you want to make something light-hearted for kids, make a Shazam/Captain Marvel movie starring Patrick Warburton as the Big Red Cheese. Treat the more serious characters more seriously, or just leave them alone.
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for the first villain. They should keep it more in the industrial espionage / military weaponry world for the first few movies, earn some good faith from the fans, before they go the "asian guy with magic alien rings" route. If they go with Mandarin, non-comic fans are going to react like they did with Daredevil -- "wait, he has no powers, but he can jump 40 feet?"
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Mandarin can be effective as the first villain if adapted to the film properly. Firstly, his rings and powers should be explained as super-technology, not as msyticism. Secondly, he should be portrayed as a mad technological genius, sort-of a Bond super-villain, with some doomsday device or master plan to destroy and/or rule the world. Thirdly, he should have numerous lackeys and agents, perhaps a horde of nameless armed military types for Iron Man to tear through, as well as perhaps a few super-thugs who are basically brawn to Mandarin's brain, and who can provide some combat for Iron Man (just as Bond had Odd Job and Jaws as physical opponents who were the muscle for the more cerebral Mastermind type villains). Anyway, Mandarin can be effective if portrayed properly and adapted to film wisely.
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Episode 1: Lay the groundwork. Start with an updated origin story (kidnapped by terrorists to build weapons, builds a prototype of the suit to escape). Main villain is Obadiah Stane, evil industrialist and business opponent. Stane tries to copy Iron Man armor for a military contract, stolen by bad guys, big fight, etc. Groundwork is laid showing Tony might have a drinking problem. At the end of the movie, Spymaster (industrial saboteur) hijacks all of Stark's technology - sets the stage for:
Iron Man II: Armor Wars. This one can kick ass. Spymaster sells Stark's technology to Justin Hammer, who uses it to create a slew of armored mercenaries, henchmen. Iron Man may not have one great villain, so instead, lets throw in 20 mediocre ones! You can work just about every Iron Man villain / armored Marvel villain into this. Blizzard, Beetle, Whiplash, Stilt-Man, Controller, Force, etc, etc. Tony Stark is brought low, succumbs to the demon in the bottle. Thus, Jim Rhodes has to assume the mantle of Iron Man! Rhodes goes to Hammer's lair, fights the baddies, and just when it seems like all hope is lost, Tony shows up in the new and improved silver and red armor. Kick-ass fight scene, good guys win, roll credits.
Then, after the credits, we see a curious scene. Captions tell us that we're in China, about 1,000 years ago. Its peaceful, woods in the middle of nowhere -- suddenly, we see a freaking alien spaceship crash to the earth, burrowing itself in a deep crater. Only one man is around to see what happened -- cautiously, he goes to explore the crater. And this brings us to:
Iron Man III. NOW, after building up some goodwill, you can try something kooky like the Mandarin. -
I agree with you that Mandarin is more effective if they make him about technology more than the "alien rings." But I still feel the best way to do the first movie is to ground it in the military/industrial espionage theme, before going the "foreign madman who wants to rule the world" route. Since its the first movie, and they need to tell the whole origin story, it makes more sense to keep the action close to home and grounded in Tony Stark's world.
I feel like going Mandarin in the first movie would be like going with Venom in Spider-Man 1 -- its just too distracting from what you need to do in a first movie, which is establish the characters and their world. -
So there can be a huge battle with Ultimo at the end. There's the "super-thug" someone was asking for. I'm not complaining. A big, epic, onscreen Iron Man vs. Ultimo battle, has super bad-ass potntial.
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...that Favreau went out of his way to say that he wasn't going to cast a name bigger than the character. After two years of hearing names like Tom Cruise (Vanilla Sky-ron Man!) and Justin Timberlake vollied about, this is damn near cause for celebration. Iron Man is nobody's favorite superhero, and I think that was very honest of Jon to admit that initially, he had no sense of the character outside of the Avengers books. This movie is going to be solid geek comfort food after the bitter tasting Hulk 2, FF2 and Ghost Rider drop, I guarantee.
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I think team ups are a bad idea for live action film. Each superhero needs to have a style tailor made for him in order for a superhero to be accepted in a live action film. The gritty Blade seris is worlds away from the more comedic and cartoonish Spider-man for example. I know they're not on any kind of a team, but it shows that even within the same "universe" each superhero lives in a different constructed world. If there was a live action Avengers it would be difficult to put, say Spider-man next to Wolverine. Likewise, it would be difficult to have Aquaman and Batman in a Justice League movie. They may work fine in a cartoon or comic, but I can't see the style of all these superheroes working out in a live action film.
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Those of you interested in what Barsoom might look like in Favs' movie (if it ever gets made) should look at www.davidkrentz.com. Seems as though Mr. Krentz was an artist who did some designs for the look of the movie. They're not bad. They're not exactly how I imagined Burroughs' Mars, but then, there would be a lot more nudity and the Tharks would look a lot less cartoony. (And by less cartoony I mean I wouldn't put Sola in a tank-top and give the green men such little eyes. Also what's up with his fat Jar-Jaresque Woola?)
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Granted not all team-ups are able to lend themselves for big screen adaptions, I don't see Archie Meets the Punisher ever being made. As for each having their own style, that's true, but most recent superhero movies tend to lend themselves the belief that they happen in a "real" world atmoshpere. So I wouldn't find it hard to see Hugh Jackman as Wolverine being with Tobey Maguire's Spiderman in a live action film, and same goes for the new Superman and Batman franchises.
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+ known with a good body of work and a following
+ not a big screen name
+ good attitude
+ american
+ Favs will love him.
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I'll admit that I wouldn't mind a team up film, I just don't see it happening. Another practical problem is that many of the stars have become more popular, and thus more expensive. It would be costly to have both Tobey Maguire and Hugh Jackman in the same movie as well as any other big name stars. If anyone can pull off a team up, then I'll be in line for a ticket, but I don't see it happening. I just hope that if they do make a World's Finest that they keep Wolfgang Peterson far, far away from it.
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Or GhostFace Killah!
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doesn't make sense, just like you wouldn't with non-superhero characters. For instance, you wouldn't take Mel Gibson's Lethal Weapon character and team him with Reese Witherspoon's character from Legally Blonde in a dramatic thriller. Just like if you make a Spider-Man/Wolverine team up, you don't make a violent dramatic film. You make a light action comedy. But I'd never do that anyway. Spidey/Human Torch, on the other hand, makes perfect sense.
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Unless there is something that substantially differs in the origin story, most audience members understand the superhero origin story. They understand it enough to have it explained in dialogue, not showing it in ridiculously useless detail. That is for comic book fanatics. Superhero origins are largely repetitious. Silver Surfer's, for instance, may be worthwhile simply for visual splendor (debateable considering the director), but the Fantastic Four's WAS NOT. There was no reason to waste the time and budget to shoot the origin sequence. It sounds like Favreau has a clever idea for Iron Man's origin, but I don't need to see yet another Batman film with a sequence of his parents being shot, talking Jor-El, etc., etc.
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Hopefully they will not go for the bland Bond villain formula some are suggesting here. That is exactly what is not needed. Unless, of course, you are going for camp, then have a field day. They could actually make this a discussion of serious issues about the nature of wielding power (which is what superheros largely are). Of course, they would have to avoid political correctness to do any of that.
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Political correctness is just a clever way of lying, by manipulating language. Political correctness has obfuscated race issues, if anything. Just my opinion.
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IT's TRUE!!
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What's up. Do you want boring by-the-numbers Mandarin, or interesting politically charged Mandarin?
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"I might have my facts a little bit off, but I think this is true. You can post this and see if he responds
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is about Rush Hour 3: "It
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What is Armor Wars, people? Of course that would not be the first movie, maybe not even the second. But it IS THE definitive storyline that everyone remembers about the Iron Man run. That and the alcoholism. That would make a good second movie, with Rhodey taking over as Iron Man for most of the movie.
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Since the US military is the world's greatest threat to freedom and justice in today's world, it only makes sense that it would make the best antagonist and villian in this or any other film. That's what I loved about The Hulk. The US military as antagonist. Since what I'm saying is true, I dare anyone to try and debate this fact. I'm not anti American. I love and would fight for what it claims to believe in, but since we've not been involved in a single 'just cause' since WW II, it's current leader and policy can bite me. Discuss.
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...with the basis for the Stark character as Favs describes him. I honestly don't think the way Favreau describes him is much of a departure from the comics origin (well, except the location and timing of the conflict where he's captured and injured). If anything, in the comics he came off as more revenge-driven (at least in that origin story) than ethically motivated, so this might even bring a bit of much needed humanization to the man in the armor (something that I think the comics went about doing by giving him human weaknesses...the heart condition, alcoholism, inability to carry on a normal relationship, etc.). I'd love to see this Iron Man saddled with the same weaknesses, but to have his greatest weakness be this newly found sense of moral outrage. It would be a real challenge for the actor, I think, to play a hero fighting for what he believes is "right" while still coming to terms with what the concepts of right and wrong mean after a world-view-altering experience. Heck, that would make this the most timely/topical comic book movie ever for most Americans. The Mandarin could complicate things even further for the very capitalist Stark (who becomes living proof that money can be used to do good) by being a villain who has similar goals but drastically different ideology (being a product of communist China). Maybe the Mandarin is a "true" communist, who sees the influence of capitalism on his nation as the most evil thing in the world and seeks to destroy one of the greatest suymbols of capitalist acheivement -- Stark Enterprises. Not sure how they'd work Stane into that, though. Maybe he's the lesser of two evils in the eyes of The Mandarin, so collaborates with him to bring Stark down knowing that his company could pick up the pieces and assume Stark's military contracts (double irony being that Stark is planning to relinquish those contracts anyway). I dunno. There's lots of potential here. Could be fun.
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...I liked "X-Men 3," but Ratner's ego is almost as big as Frank Miller's. Anyway, his calling Harry out is a hoot.
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That guy can act.
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..."F***ing Latverians... they start all the f***ing wars inna world! F*** the Latverians. Hey officer... (hic) you aren't a f***ing Latverian are ya? Betcha are! Issat a wire stickin' outta your ear? I bet you're a f***ing DOOMBOT! (hic) F***ing Latverians! F*** 'em all!
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...drunk dialing from the bar while wrestling with his conscience over whether or not to don the suit again. "Hello? Captain America? Shut up! I just want you to know...you're the guy! These other guys? They don't know! But you? You're the guy! Shut up! I love you man."
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He'll be completely encased in metal except for the back of his head, which he refuses to cover under any circumstances, despite numerous blows to the head,or frequent motorcycle mishaps.
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He did The aviator.... and he rocked as howard huges,... this could be a total cool move. I think if Leo buffed up a bit he could be Tony Stark. Not everyone would make the connection to howard hughes, but those that would would like the idea... very much.
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...would Leo need to bulk up? Iron Man encases himself in armor. He doesn't even need limbs, technically (see his Canadian cousin "Box" for how that would work), much less massive ones. There are plenty of obstacles standing between Leo and a comic-accurate (if that's what they're going for) portrayal of Stark, but his frame isn't one of them. Just sayin'.
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Considering this is the only popular thread right now to do with comic book films, Batman On Film has posted a little article claiming not only has Heath Ledger not yet signed on to play the Joker, but he's leaning towards not signing on at all. The article aslo mentions that the Penguin is the second villain and that the role has been offered to Philip Seymour Hoffman (yesss!) but that he's also reluctant to get involved (booo!). This comes from the same source that confirmed Ledger as having been offered the role a couple weeks ago.
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After that slanderous interview, I dont know if i can stomach respecting harry much further. He better stand up and say something on this site.
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DiCaprio after watching The Aviator as far as I'm concerned is Howard Hughes... and who better to play Tony Stark then the man he is based on... howard hughes, or better yet a man who portrayed howard huges impeccibly in The Aviator.
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He's a fantastic actor with lots of star potential that has just never been tapped. he's mid-thirties, dark hair, and has matinee good looks and what mroe could you really want? Let's make this happen.
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a superhero yet... in an era of comic movies, when he have to sit through famous actors like Ben Afflek as Daredevil, Nicolas Cage as Ghostrider and Tobey Maguire as Spiderman you obviously need someone who can carry a movie if your going to make an Iron Man film... and who better to draw people into the seats than DiCaprio.. the guy is a killer actor... and to see him portray an alcoholic which I dont think he's done to much extent on the big screen would be hardcore. I'm just saying they can't go with an unknown, and they can't nickel and dime the actor playing Tony Stark. Leo Dicaprio is by far the best consideration for the role yet. I know a famous actor playing Tony Stark doesn't necessarily mean better, but dicaprio isn't just famous, he's an awesome actor, he looks like howard hughes, he acted well as howard hughes... and he rocks out.
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Jesus, I was not a fan of his, but after reading that, I can't stand him. He basically tries to exonerate himself from any blame at all, he whines, he says he is at the same level as PT Anderson, and then goes on to even lightly attack PT Anderson, Spielberg, and others. He just appears to be a conceited guy, who is ashamed to admit his faults.
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Greedo fires first.
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...Spiderhulk, I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell that Leo is going to accept a role that requires him to cover up his face for 50% (or, hopefully, more) of his screen time (even for Man in the Iron Mask, he had too have his evil twin running around to show everyone how pretty he is). Same reason a guy like Cruise wouldn't work. WHat you need here is a good looking actor whose looks aren't the foundation for his career. Someone who's not only going to look the part of the handsome millionaire playboy outside the suit, but who can act THROUGH the suit (essentially voice act since the rest will be CGI). I'm actually not convinced that Leo could pull off the audible nuance (a lot of his emotional range depends on his facial expression and the way he carries himself) that would be necessary to make Iron Man a compelling character.
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People have suggested Marc Blucas for Capt. America (interesting, if a bit too young), and James Marsters for Iron Man (not so much). I still say that the splash page from the New Avengers Annual of Stark looks exactly like David Boreanaz with a moustache. Frankly, I think he could do it pretty well. With other actors, I still say if Gambit ever makes it on film, that Christian Kane (Lindsey) is your man. Nicholas Brendan would have made a great Iceman (and his talents would have made the character much more faithful to the comic). And how about Heath Ledger as Joker? I'm pretty intrigued. I might almost love it. And I hope the Penguin will be a plot device rather than a main villain - or at least make him more like the Animated Series and as far away from Batman Returns as possible. So to sum up, Boreanaz for Iron Man.
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Wow what a bombshell Ratner dropped on Harry. Will Harry strike back?
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isn't very compelling. His acting is more in his expressions, and movement. His voice has a lot of emotional range in his, but I'm not sure its enough. I dont think he's just a pretty face though like afflek, or damon. Leo can actually act, he probably just needs to work on this intonations and nuances of his voice a bit more. Hugo Weaving did a remarkable job wearing just a mask in V for Vendetta... I'm just not sure Leo could pull off that same of emotional projection through a mask most of the film.
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in the suit Leo could sound like Darth Vader for all he likes, part of the secret identity. Really not sure who they should cast as Tony - Tony not IM as he is CGI, Tony needs a good actor, IM needs a good animator.
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I sure as hell wouldn't stand for someone calling my dad fat. That's just mean. Ratner came off as having a real inferiority complex in that interview, the way he took potshots at critics and sounded a little catty about other directors. If I remember correctly, didn't Harry say that the reason X-3 was so shitty was because of Fox and not Ratner? If anything, Ratner should thank Harry for not placing the blame on him for making the biggest disappointment of the summer.
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...Ratner didn't make Superman Returns. And ComputerGuy, I think the biggest mistake they could make would be to overmodulate the actor's voice for Iron Man. It's going to be hard enough relating to him in armor even if they cast the most recognizable voice in the industry (would that be Sean Connery?). He needs to sound human if we're going to spend a significant amount of time with him.
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Jul 31, 2006 2:05:00 PM CDT
Childe Roland, I agree, more like Robocop, not overdone
by computerguy68
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best of both worlds. A good actor and a solid voice actor. Good idea?
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I've never been a huge Iron Man or Avengers fan, but have read some recent stuff (Avengers Disassembled, House of M, New Avengers, Civil War and Ultimates). Anyway, in some of these, there have been scenes where Tony seems to be floating around in some environment with computer screens and such, and he seems to be controlling the Iron Man Suit, and talking through it. Is he actually in the suit, in some Tardis-like dimensional paradox, or is this some remote thing and he's actually just controlling the suit from afar? I'm just curious.
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It is how Tony sees himself in the suit. His link to the computer is a VR control center. Well that's how I see it...
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The one with the inoperable brain tumour that could kill him any time... more realistic than a piece of shrapnel lodged in his chest... that stuff can be taken care of these days in medicine, not brain tumours so much though. Plus we can identify with someone with a brain tumour, it's more common with relatives friends etc... someone with a piece of shrapnel lodged near their heart is practically unheard of and seperates him from having an emotional connection with the audience.
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The campaign for a singing, dancing, giant-lizard fighting, school-ditching Tony Stark starts here! Seriously, who doesn't want to see a raging alcoholic Ferris Bueller?
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That and the Obadiah stane saga was the definite best of Iro man's issues.and Rhodey is da man, mainly cause he started off as a novice and then kicked all kinds of ass while replacing the rum pot as the new shellhead. Maybe if there's enough scene stealing moments,He can done the Grey and sliver armor.i'm talking war machine bitches.
And i wouldn't mind seeing a live action Ultimate Avengers Movie,just as long as Cap gets his wings back. -
bring back the 2026 Leo DiCaprio so that his balls will have finally dropped? Otherwise, someone who comes across as a little more MATURE please?
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Cap was in his 20s during WWII. He also doesn't really age at the same rate, so he looks early 30s forever, like Superman. He was very good in I Capture the Castle (which is what made me think of him for Cap to begin with). Which also included Romola Garai who would make an excellent Diamondback! Probably even a pretty good Black Cat.
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He should stay away from the Super-Karate however. I NEVER bought that one.
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Is there such a person?! LOL
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looks like Marc Blucas. http://www.afn.org/~afn31010/jpg/km_cap.jpg
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Unless he is fighting Tony Stark outside of the suit... I dont give a shit who you are, what colour your karate belt is. If you go up against a god damn guy in an iron suit that flies you're not going to be able to kick the crap out of him with nun chucks, high kicks, and punches. If i even see a hint of that happening in this film. I dont care if he's radioactively powered or powered by the rings to fight ironman with his barefists it will look stupid. NO KARATE FIGHTING!!! UNLESS IT'S MAN ON MAN!!!! you gotta either give mandarin a suit or do some other bs, but not let him tackle ironman unaided with his flesh on metal.
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on the big screen. It's okay in comic books to have Captain America fist fighting someone like Iron Man or any other superhero for that matter... but when it comes to not wanting things to get cheesy on the big screen you only have two superheros that can have flesh on metal action... SUPERMAN AND HULK... and maybe thing..... and a little spiderman, but only with the black suit.
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cause those are beams, and metal claws..... not flesh on metal.
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so ya... just Supes, Hulk, and a little spidey
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Did I spell it right?
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...MATT DILLON IS TONY STARK!!!
That's all I got, but at least I got it where it counts. -
lost power during the Commie revolution. So he's a nationalist who could be an anti-Communist but a fellow totalitarian. I think a motivation such as "Stark is an evil capitalist" is less preferrable to Mandarin wanting to use Stark and Stark being agreeable until he has a change of heart, at which point the Mandarin must simply eliminate him as a thorn in his side. I'd like the Mandarin to be slippery and clever, not one-note. Still think with the rings being alien tech originally it's a perfect opportunity to bring in Fing Fang Foom. I'd hate for this to be just another boring pseudo-tech realism movie.
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would be HOT!
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Didn't Favreau just say that he is not going to cast a big name star as Stark/Iron Man? If so, then talk of Leo DiCaprio is wasted. Even if Fav was going to cast a big name, DiCaprio doesn't seem right for Stark anyway. I would suggest George Clooney, who looks decent with a mustache (see Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), and can play a rich bachelor playboy, since that is basically who he is in real life. Clooney also has a distinctive voice, which is part of what is needed, since Iron Man will essentially be voice acting, sort of like the Darth Vader role. Clooney can play the militaristic or spy type as well (see Three Kings or Syriana). And, there is a certain irony casting the noted liberal Clooney as a guy who is basically an uber-capitalist.*****Regarding Heath Ledger as the Joker: bad idea, in my book. Ledger is a good actor, but I just do not see him as the Joker. Paul Bettany is a much better bet. Ledger as the Joker would just seem like Ledger in face paint. You need a less recognizable actor who can dissappear into the character. Bettany is less of a recognizable star and is a more "stealth" sort of actor than Ledger. Furthermore, Bettany is much more the physical type needed for the Joker. The Joker needs to be tall and thin. Ledger is a bit too solidly built, whereas Bettany has the height and the leaner look. Finally, Bettany can be convincing as mad and menacing. I am not sure that Ledger can be threatening. Also, it seems silly to cast a heart-throb as the Joker. Chicks crush on Ledger. The Joker should be scary as fuck, not Tiger Beat material.*****On another Batman Begins sequel casting point, I must re-iterate my support for Liev Schreiber as Harvey Dent, and oppose Jake Gyllenhall, whose name has come up more recently as a possible actor for the Dent/Two-Face role. First, you don't need a Brokeback Mountain vibe for any more Batman movies. The gay and camp overtones of the Joel Schumacher abortions are a major part of what nearly killed the Batman franchise in the first place. Ledger and Gyllenhall are both good actors, but neither are right for these roles. Gyllenhall himself still comes across as boyish, not very adult. Harvey Dent is a samrt and slick lawyerly type, certainly no boy or kid, but rather a strong and crusading District Attorney. Further, when he becomes Two-Face, he becomes a sort of low and very menacing character. I do not find the boyish Gyllenhall to be menacing at all. Schreiber, on the other hand, can play creepy as hell. Look at his performance in The Manchurian Candidate, and you can see him as both a political type (which the D.A. Harvey Dent is), as well as an insane criminal type who is scary as all fuck. Gyllenhall just does not have the same sort of weight that Schreiber has proven himself to have.*****Anyway, those are some observations on Iron Man, the Batman Begins Sequel, and casting.
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"I think Timothy Olyphant is "charming.." Billy Crudup Has what it takes. Clive Owen would look good with a moustache..." jeez, can't u guys jerk off to wrestling like any self-respecting latent homo?
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For any one that cares;
http://tinyurl.com/oh7ef
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Michael Rosenbaum, if given the chance he could own the role like he does Lex on Smallville.
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and Rhodes is a member of the supporting cast.
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oooo...Amy acker with red hair...that would work. girl needs to gain just a smidge more weight though..not alot...just enough so that she doesn't look like she'd fall over in a stiff breeze. Hopefully motherhood did that for her
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phildogger, I'd rather Pete Townshends "I Eat Heavy Metal" - featuring John Lee Hooker on vocals. " I eat heavy metal,
Gargle premium gas.
I drink heavy water,
Nitro-demitasse." -
Or maybe his first public appearance is some rescue operation at a Heavy Metal coverband concert. Imagine him smashing through the wall and everyone going nuts!!!
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F*** keeping him White...
Cast for performance. -
I heard somewhere that he was being considered as Tony Stark. I think he would be good in the role. He has the intelligence and screen presence and he looks the part as well.
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Man, I ready your post and I think you're spot on when it comes to the ideal iron man plot! I mean it just felt right. All I'd add is that you have the mandarin in the background in the first two movies as an asian industrialist with an interest in what stane and the others are doing, maybe pulling some strings... then for Iron Man three he gets the alien rings.. pretty cool
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My choice (today).
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who cares about his pauses and mannerisms...just type what he said man
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A great choice - he could use a Big Movie
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For some reason, I always thought Ed Norton would make a good Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. He has a certain sense of bemusement that Green Arrow often also has, and yet can also switch to tough, dangerous, a bit scary (see him in American History X). For Stark, if you want to cast a known actor, I can see George Clooney playing the character. He can wear a mustache and not look foolish (see Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), can play a pseudo-military spy-type (again, Confessions, Syriana, Three Kings), and is basically a millionaire bachelor playboy like Stark. Also, Clooney has a distinctive voice, which is important for Stark, since as Iron Man the role will be mostly voice acting. So, to play the role, the actor must fit Stark, and also be able to do some voice acting (Iron Man being similar to the Darth Vader role, where there is an actor in a face mask and armor, and the voice acting is key to the portrayal).
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Wilson could be quite good in the role. Not denying that. But I'm thinking of a different Owen. Not anything-else-but-Behind-Enemy-Lines-version-Owen-Wilson, but the actual Behind-Enemy-Lines-version-Owen-Wilson. He can convincingly and simultaneously pull off arrogance, hubris, and humanity. He's perfect. I also think he's the most overexposed one-note actor in the biz today, despite his untapped potential. Honestly, I can't stand him. Which is exactly where I'm going with this. Doesn't prevent me from considering him in a final running of sorts at the very least, given his performance in Behind Enemy Lines. Give him time to grow a tee and break out the shoe polish after a buzz cut -- he's Tony Stark in the flesh. Would love to see him act opposite Terrence Howard in a serious role. Make it a post modern yet global Miami Vice and then we'll be cooking with gas.
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Forget it! By the third movie (if they made one) he'd be using a walker in that iron man suit. Plus, I bet it would be a lot harder than you think to get him to try another super hero movie.
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He had zero machizmo. And Hughes was all machizmo. He was Ted Turner meets Clooney. He was man`s man and looked more like Clive Owen.
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Stark must be a tough as nail businessman.
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He was the dark and dashing returning King in a Knight`s Tale. And he was up for V for Vendetta not too long ago. He has super-hero written all over him. Tall, dark hair, charismatic, badass, in his mid 30s and like Favreau said that he`s "looking for somebody in his mid to late 30s, not a complete unknown but not a star either. Somebody that`s good, has done several parts in movies(having the chops) but was never given the chance to shine".
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Jamie Bamber! BSG's "Apollo" would make the "ideal" Iron Man.
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Josh Hartnett (Tony Starks).... think about it.
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Plus he has the face hair.
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I think it's going to be Nick Cage as Tony Stark. I remember something awhile back about him being attached to the project with Tom Cruise producing. And I think they'll cast Ken Watanabe as the Mandarin because it's lazy-ass casting. Laurence Fishburne as Rhodes and a cameo by David Carradine as Shang-Chi with that new X3 "youth" technology. Damn, they know how to roll in green ink...
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Fuck the Rat!!! Harry, you have the money do pull it off...why not direct a movie or two of your own???!!! Ratner acts like making a movie is high science. Well, it's not...It's about having the budget and the crew!!! Harry, you can go HD on a production and deliver some nice product, if only as a big ass fuck you to the over stuffed Rat...speaking of fat people!!! But still and all, I'm glad Ratner exposed himself...If you read anything about that guy, he's always trying to pay people off by inference...through flying them out for premieres, entertaining them at lavish parties and what not!!! If he was a real artist he wouldn't have to kiss everybodies ass like that in order to win favor!!! So since Ratner bought plane tickets for Harry and his dad to attend a two bit movie premiere, Ratner now feels Harry owes him his life, and thus by implication, is suggesting that Harry should give all his movies good reviews as a pay-off!!! That's payola, and I'm glad Harry has said no to that!!! He came to the premiere to report on the event as a professional news writer, not a bought critic!!! Chalk this one up to being an inexpensive press junket...and move on Ratner. Stop being a dick, and stop acting like that fool Kevin Smith who feels like he deserves a free ride simply because he's in the Good 'Ol Boy White Boy Welfare Club now...where you don't have to deliver good product...you just have to deliver something...anything to get paid!!! PS-Harry, If I was you, I send Ratner his money back for the two air plane tickets, and send him two tickets to Hell to go along with them!!!
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http://www.operationcompletebastard.com
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Fun Favreau Fact:
Jon Favreau Graduated from Bronx High School of Science
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