Jon Favreau and Marvel Finally Seal the Deal for Iron Man 2
Good news… it looks like another massive fanboy riot has been averted. Word on the street is that Jonny Fav and Marvel have finally come to terms and signed a deal for Iron Man 2. Details have not been released, but according to Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily, the deal is “definitely” worth more than the first film. A few months ago, word came out that Marvel was being tight-fisted with the sequel, denying Favreau’s request for a bigger paycheck. As soon as the story found its way to the web, fans cried foul, saying that the movie’s massive box office bank entitled him to a lot more cash, and that they didn’t want the sequel handled by anyone else. I find it interesting that Favreau has now entered that elite circle of directors whom fanboys worship and probably want to direct pretty much everything (alongside Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Jackson and Christopher Nolan).
Personally I’m happy for Favreau and I love the guy, but I don’t completely agree with the people who think he is irreplaceable for part 2. What did Favreau really bring to the table that is distinctly his own? The one thing he did very well is finding the right balance of humour for the film… but I thought the action and effects were simply adequate. Either way, part 1 was a big success and there’s no reason for Marvel to mess with the personnel right now. The bigger concern is that the release date for Iron Man 2 is April 2010, and Favreau is reportedly unhappy about such a tight timeframe. Considering that people always expect sequels to be bigger and better, I think he has a point!
Comments (4)
“but I thought the action and effects were simply adequate”
So did I; they were even inadequate in some moments. Losing Favreau for part 2 wouldn’t be traumatic like losing Peter Jackson or Sam Raimi for part two of their multi-million dollar trilogies. You can tell a Raimi or Jackson film in a few seconds from their wholly unique methods of camera framing and movements. Those guys are auteurs. Favreau can tell a story and direct actors but is visually generic.
Posted by Ryan M. on July 10th, 2008Favs’ style of letting the action happen and allowing good actors like RDJ and Terrence Howardto ad lib some of their dialogue worked really well and made this a different kind of comicbook movie. We did a review of this film just recently over at the futilepodcast where we talked about our feelings on the pros and cons of the first film. You can check it out here:
http://futiletitle.blogspot.com
Posted by Ian on July 10th, 2008I like Jon’s work but I agree, he is not irreplaceable. Chris Nolan he’s not! He gave Marvel a big hit and he wanted the big money. Im sure he got it. That’s called good business! Looking foward to the sequel.
Posted by entrtainmenttodayandbeyond on July 10th, 2008By the way Jon Favreau was great in Rudy the first film I remember seeing him in.
Posted by entertainmenttodayandbeyond on July 10th, 2008Leave a Reply