If you have seen Iron Man 2 (opening today in the States) you will know that Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) father is in it. He shows up briefly on some old films that Tony watches.
As you may also know, the Captain America movie is going to be set mainly during World War 2. This means that Howard Stark (John Slattery) would have been in his prime back then. Plus being a mover and shaker in the technology world he would probably have been involved in some way with the Super Soldier project. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) even mentions that Howard was involved in the formation of SHIELD.
MTV news spoke to director Jon Favreau about the possibility of Howard Stark showing up in the Captain America movie.
“Yeah, because he was around then,” confirmed Favreau.
“[‘Captain America’] is World War II,” he explained. “It wouldn’t be that same actor, probably, because he would be much younger.”
“[Howard Stark] was starting out during that time, and [he] was involved with the war effort, much like Howard Hughes,” said the filmmaker.
Robert Downey Jr. has confirmed to MTV that Alfonso Cuaron’s 3D sci-fi-thriller “Gravity” is his next immediate film.
Filming will take place this Summer in London and then he will move on to the Sherlock Holmes sequel in Autumn with Guy Ritchie. That will start off in London, but will move to Europe. “Yes, I think we’ll be abroad. A bit of Paris, a bit of Switzerland by the end, if I’m not mistaken.”
No news on whether Rachel McAdams will be back for the sequel. “It’s hard to say. Because Irene Adler only appeared in one of the stories of Doyle’s reservoir of activities. But we’ll find out quickly.”
Just a lovely piece of art work. Finally got to see Iron Man 2 today and loved it. Lots of nods to the comic book fans and Tony’s use of what looks like Captain America’s shield is brilliant. Robery Downey Jr was born to play the role. Nice to see Sam Rockwell doing some of his Confessions of a Dangerous Mind dancing as well. As for Scarlett Johansson in the Black Widow catsuit…..Kerpow!
Director: Jon Favreau Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Clark Gregg, Samuel L Jackson
This review by Ben Mortimer
Two years ago, as the first Iron Man film was being showered in almost universal praise, there was one criticism levelled at it in review after review – that it lacked action set pieces. It’s safe to say this won’t be a sticking point for viewers of the sequel, as it is packed to the gills with fight sequences.
The problem with this new action-packed take on Iron Man, however, is that much of the action feels like it’s been crow bared in. At each crash of a super-suited fist the film trips over itself, as story and characters are temporarily sidelined to satisfy Another Pointless Super Scrap. This is particularly true early on in the film, with the introduction of Whiplash.
Taking place about twenty minutes in, we know too much about the character for him to feel mysterious, but not enough to particularly care about why he’s fighting Stark. This is unfortunate, because, with the exception of a couple of fairly slapstick moments, this is one of the better executed action sequences in the film (more on that later).
In the midst of all of this unnecessary action, are some very strong elements. The characters are generally well rounded, even if the story itself lacks any real thrust, and as with the first film, the performances are almost universally excellent. The main exception to this is Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. With a loosely-sketched back story, and a very linear arc, he simply isn’t interesting enough to be the film’s key villain, and Rourke struggles to imbue the character with any real personality.
In addition to the well rounded characters, there were several references back to small but memorable elements of the first film that pay-off some of the support players, although these references are small potatoes compared with the wealth of references to films to come, from Black Widow’s blue SHIELD catsuit to Agent Coulson being sent to deal with Thor. There is also a reference to Tony Stark’s future alcoholism, although it seems unlikely that an audience could really sit through a third ‘wayward Tony Stark makes good’-story.
In spite of these positive elements, the film has some serious down sides. The plot is functional but empty, and Tony’s quest to find a hidden message from his father is logic defying. If the subject of the message were so important why is it hidden, and more to the point, why was it not mentioned in the first film?
The biggest issue the film has, however, is that watching two men fight with masks on is ultimately unsatisfying. No matter how much damage we see the suit take, and how little energy/control the occupant has, it’s nearly impossible to connect with them when we can’t see their face. Iron Man solved this by having Stark and Stane remove their helmets for the final battle. The sequel ignores this technique, but fails to come up with an alternative, resulting in several dull fights, including what should have been the climactic battle.
Ultimately, and despite its flaws, Iron Man 2 is still a fun and enjoyable film, filled with a great deal to like. It might not be a patch on its predecessor, but it is considerably better than many of the other films within its genre.
If you are a fan of the Iron Man movie you will remember that after the closing credits, Tony Start (Robert Downey Jr) went home and was met by Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) who mentioned the Avengers Initiative. It was a very cool fanboy moment and it looks as if something similar could happen at the end of Iron Man 2.
To avoid spoilers I have put it in inviso-text (just press the mouse button and drag across below to see the text from BadTaste via /Film. Update: Can’t get the damn text to change colour so apologies.
A 100% trusted source (NOT from the production/distribution, but very familiar with the movie) confirmed us today that there will be an easter egg in IM2. It’s an extra scene, just like the one in the first movie, after the end credits. We are able to tell you what’s about! It’s a scene about… Captain America and Thor! Maybe this doesn’t seem a big reveal, but it’s nice to have a confirmation.
Pretty cool if it is true. I won’t say anymore here, but feel free to discuss further in the comments which are now designated spoiler territory for this post.
Great news for fans of Joss Whedon (oh Firefly!) but a rumour from a few weeks ago that said he was in the running to direct The Avengers for Marvel Studios could well be true.
Deadline (who are usually spot on with these things) have the news that Joss Whedon is in final negotiations to direct The Avengers.
That means he would be in control of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as well as SHIELD leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and whoever else they decide to include – possibly the Hulk, the Wasp, Hawkeye.
After Iron Man 2, Marvel has three pictures left on a distribution deal with Paramount before it moves to Disney, and the studio has been churning them out. Iron Man 2 gets released in May, Captain America will begin shooting this summer in Europe, Thor is in production, and Marvel Studios just set Pete Sollett to direct Runaways, based on the comic book series created by Lost writer Brian K. Vaughan. Whedon also wrote for that last one along with Astonishing X-Men so he knows how these things work.
True, Serenity is his only feature film, but all of his shows involve an ensemble cast of people with various abilities so his transition to directing the team of Avengers should work quite well.
I really think he is an excellent choice for the film although it is still not set in stone. Do you agree that Whedon is the one to direct the Avengers or is it a terrible choice? Who else should they have on the team?
The Avengers is due out in May 2012.
UPDATE: Variety have picked up on the news that Whedon is in final negotiations to direct and if it does go ahead he will also rework the screenplay by screenwriter Zak Penn.
It will be nice if this all happens. Now another question – if he could bring in some of his crew what characters would you like to see the following play?
Nathan Fillion – Neil Patrick Harris – Charisma Carpenter – Felicia Day – Summer Glau
Live for Films 