There’s been some rumors on the web that Robert Downey Jr. isn’t signed on to do Marvel’s The Avengers 2 yet, but director Joss Whedon said that there is no way he can make that film without the actor playing Iron Man.
Last month, while promoting Iron Man 3, Downey sounded like he was preparing to end his time as Tony Stark/Iron Man and he hadn’t signed on for Avengers 2 yet. He was paid $50 million to star in the first Avengers.
When The Daily Beast asked Whedon about the situation with Downey, he said that he is not preparing for the possibility of no Downey in his movie.
“He is Iron Man. He is Iron Man in the way that Sean Connery was James Bond,” he told the site. “I have no intention of making Avengers 2 without him, nor do I think I’ll be called upon to do that. I don’t think it’s in my interest, Marvel’s interest, or his interest, and I think everything will be fine.”
He continued, “But I know that this is Hollywood and you roll with things. You have to be ready for the unexpected. But I loved working with Robert, and everybody knows he embodied that role in a way no one else can. The day he was cast, I went up to [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige and said, ‘You brilliant son of a b**ch.’”
Whedon is currently promoting the release of his indie side project, a modern version of Much Ado About Nothing. However, he has just directed the pilot for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which will debut on ABC in the fall.
Avengers 2 has been scheduled for a May 1, 2015 release date. Around that time, Disney should also be releasing Star Wars: Episode VII.
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