Yahoo! has a brief discussion, mentioning cage and cruise, of course. I think (another "c") George Clooney would be well-cast in that role, but of course, having done Batman, it might be off the table for him.

I think Clooney would be an excellent choice. He'd be more believable as a charismatic playboy than Cage. And I would say he's definitely a better actor than Cruise. I wonder if they'd be using the heart trouble and alcoholism.

Actually, I just discovered several pages dedicated to casting rumors for this film <here and here>. I think this role may offer really great potential the right actor to bring depth to it. (Of course, that was true for Daredevil, too.).

Other choices mentioned on those sites include Leonardo DiCaprio. Uh oh -- he's way too young, among other flaws.

IIRK, Tony Stark is very much a reluctant super-hero, a playboy who stumbles across injustice and misery and, in combination with his body's weaknesses, crafts a solution that keeps him alive while enabling him to do super-dude deeds. A Marvel version of Oscar Schindler.

The technology angle is interesting, and fits in well with the recent trend.

Actually AICN has some rumors here, including that Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D. will be (appropriately) woven into this film. Of course, that news is pretty stale.

My favorite comment in the user forums: "Please God...make sure that the Iron Man armor does not have anything resembling nipples on it, and if Joel Schumacher comes anywhere near the script, please strike him down with nuclear hemorrhoids and maybe leprosy" (I don't care to repeat the rest, though.)

Someone mentioned a younger Timothy Dalton for the role, and as great a suggestion as that is, I think that would best fit Clooney.

I *love* Iron Man. As i child i collected this comic more than any other.

I do not like any of the choices so far for Tony Stark. Leonardo is definitely too young. Clooney is too campy. Cruise is too... Cruise. Actually, do you know who really looks more like Tony Stark than anyone else?


De Niro.


And not only that, but this guy can much more easily pass for a tormented alchoholic.

-s.

I agree that's a compelling choice, Stef, but (1) DeNiro may be too old and (2) I don't trust him any more after Rocky and Bullwinkle.

But, mentioning DeNiro makes me think that there are many other actors who could do it justice, including Kevin Kline, Willem DaFoe, Martin Sheen...if they go the character-driven route and cast someone with chops in the role. The problem is that any actor with star power will probably not consent to being behind a mask for much of the film. Call it the "Judge Dredd" factor. (But then again, in Spiderman, that aparrently wasn't an issue...)

But, as the Narnia thread proves, I stink at predicting casting (although I did cast Holm as Bilbo about 10 years ago!).

Thanks for that link, Alan.

I own from like issue #215-#250, a few before and a few after.

Oh, and the writing of those first few issues, set amidst the Vietnam War, will absolutely curl your hair.

I AM familar with the various editions of Iron Man's armor. I'm just sayin', nipple-like nodes on Iron Man's armor aren't the Schumacheresque revisionist abomination that they were on Batman's armor.

I'm actually hoping they play up the multiple suits of armor approach (i.e. one for space, one for sneaking around, one for kicking bad guys around, etc.)

On another tangent -- IS IRON MAN the model for DARTH VADER?!?!?

(not to mention Robocop...)

And this is what Iron Man looks like today? Uh oh.

Iron Man was never one of my favorite superheroes. As a member of the Avengers he's good, but his title book has languished in recent years and I'm surprised that they're interested in making a film.

As for armor, here's the version of Iron Man in The Ultimates, which actually quite like.



As for Iron Man influencing Darth Vader, nah! Everyone knows that DOCTOR DOOM is the basis for Vader.

Purely in terms of looking like Tony Stark, it appears that a younger Leonard Nimoy would have been perfect for the role.

In terms of finding a hot, bankable star whose career arc is at the right point, it appears that Viggo Mortensen or Jim Caviezel would be a likely choice.

Cage badly needs a jumpstart role but lacks the charisma for a superhero. Cruise doesn't need a jumpstart role at all. Di Caprio is not aging well, and isn't as predictably bankable as he and his agent might think.

'Iron Man' attracts May release date
Following in the footsteps of such comic book film openings as "Spider-Man" and "X2: X-Men United," Marvel armored avenger "Iron Man" is staking out an early May release date. The Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment film is scheduled to open May 2, 2008, the studio said Thursday. Directed by Jon Favreau, the project marks the first motion picture to be produced by Marvel under its alliance with the Viacom Inc.-owned studio.
Hollywood Reporter, June 23

Favreau answers some questions about Iron Man in a MySpace thread. (Language warning, of course.)

Among elements of the movie:

The villain is going to be Mandarin.

Someone saw a poster here

Clive Owen would be perfect for the part, playing up the alcoholic angle Stef alluded to, above. Other names mentioned on the net: Karl Urban, Edward Norton [interesting], Russell Crowe [interesting].

Scanning the list of threads, I thought this was ICON MAN.

Better go back to bed...

I think Karl Urban would be a darn good choice. He's a great character actor and I'd like to see him get a big role like this.

Will Terrence Howard have a supporting role in Iron Man?

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Tony Stark (is Robert Downey, Jr.)

Perhaps the casting is a bit TOO true to life (alcoholism, "bad boy", etc.), but nevertheless, he IS considered a good actor, HAS done action films in the past, so...why am I not happy about this?

I don't know the character, but as a movie buff with an interest in comics in general, I like Downey enough to trust him as the actor (certainly more than Tom Cruise). The bigger question mark for me is director Jon Favreau (who co-starred in Daredevil, but never mind that) -- can he direct an effects-laden superhero movie and balance it with intimate human elements the way that, say, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 did? Zathura, Favreau's previous effects-heavy movie, was inconclusive on this point.

I have complete faith in Downey Jr. as an actor, and he's great at physical comedy, so he should have an advantage over other actors when it comes to acting in an encompassing costume.

The hard part, I think... and this may be what bugs you, Alan, and maybe not... is that it will be hard for me to accept Downey as a HERO. He's done a good job (with the enthusiastic help of the media) of making his personal life something that's hard to set aside when you're watching him on the screen.

I think you're on to something, although there's more to it, perhaps.

I'm not as much an IM afficionado as others on this board, but the complexity of Tony Stark might work really well with Downey, BUT it needs a really well-written, nuanced script, or else it will just turn out to be Robocop with a paint job.

Howard a Rhodes scholar
Terrence Howard is set to join Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man."
The Jon Favreau-directed film is the first to be coined through a financing arrangement that Marvel Studios formed with Merrill Lynch. Paramount Pictures releases the film May 2, 2008.
Howard will play Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, the confidante of Iron Man's alter ego, Tony Stark. Rhodes, a high ranking military officer and aviator, steers the team that develops the robotic suit that allows the sickly Stark to fly around and battle bad guys.
In the comic, Rhodes' character gets his own armored suit and evolves into an occasionally antagonistic character called War Machine. That development seems likely to be saved for the sequel, though, as Iron Man will battle villain the Mandarin when shooting begins in February in L.A. . . .
Variety, October 9

I have been thinking about this, and I think this may be a strength for Iron Man. Stark isn't Clark Kent. He's a selfish playboy, and unlike Bruce Wayne, it's not a persona who wears to throw people off the scent. He's a guy thrust into heroism. Which, if the film takes that approach could work effectively or make for a terrible movies.

FWIW, Downey Jr. never crossed my mind but I think it is the PERFECT choice.

-s.

Been a lot of casting news for this recently. Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and now Jeff Bridges are attached to the film.

I think that this is the one case that it could work for the role.
While most other celebrities would be haunted by such personal choices (especially if they had well publicized crimes/addictions/intolerance) in the future roles they take, Downey Jr is actually going to be portraying an alcoholic as Iron Man.

His drug additions, knowing that the actor himself has made human mistakes, will help him play the character and even help me believe that he fits the role. A successful famous rich man falling into a downward spiral of addiction....both Downey Jr and the character Tony Stark.

The first photo of the Iron Man suit is now online at AICN. I like it! What say all of you?

I think it looks very cool - it looks just like the Iron Man v.1 suit from the comics, and yet like it was built out of spare parts and sheet metal. It's great.

Wow -- that IS interesting, and just like the first book.

Um, so there's going to be more than one suit featured, right? Cuz I could look at that for a few minutes I guess, but then I'd be all, "Where's Iron Man?"

-s.

If Bridges was reprising his role as Lebowski in this film, it would be #1 on my Most Anticipated Movie list.

Sigh. Oh well. I can dream, can't I?

There definitely has to be other suits--it's been in the posters, after all, not that I'm thrilled with this one:


REMEMBER: The first iron-man outfit is merely to save Stark's life. Its abilities were a side-effect. Reluctant hero.

Oh! here is Downey as Stark!

Yeah. Tony Stark built the first suit to save his life. Then once he escaped from the bad guys, he rebuilt it into something a lot cooler, and red and gold.

Here he is!

Wow. Stunning.

-s.

Here's a high-rez version of that shot.

Both suits rock. I don't think I've ever been so excited about a Marvel comic adaptation.

Could Samuel L. Jackson be Nick Fury?!?

Trailer's up.

Sabbath throws it completely over the top and I loved every second of it. What a blast.

My thoughts exactly.

Embedding here:

Yyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssszzzzzzzz.

Awesome.

But still --

This is my childhood hero, Marvel -- please don't screw this one up.

-s.