Iron Man: which actors almost played the title role in place of Robert Downey Jr.?

Released in cinemas in 2008, the blockbuster Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau, will be rebroadcast on Sunday May 22, 2022, from 9:05 p.m. on 6ter. Carried by Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, this feature film is the very first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) on the big screen. It features the character of Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy who will become the superhero Ironman, after being kidnapped by a terrorist organization. With a production budget of 140 million dollars, this feature film was a great commercial success, given that it collected over $585 million in revenue worldwideduring its theatrical run.

In France, more than 2 million spectators went to dark rooms to discover this blockbuster. Faced with such success, two sequels were released on the big screen in 2010 and 2013while the character ofIron Man has appeared in several other MCU films, such as Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, or even the saga avengers. The first Iron Man is also the film that allowed Robert Downey Jr. to relaunch his career in Hollywood. Nevertheless, the actor almost never slipped into the skin of Tony Stark.

Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr. has become inseparable from his character

At the time, it was somewhat to everyone’s surprise that Robert Downey Jr. was chosen by Jon Favreau to play Iron Man on the big screen. At the beginning, the director was thinking of hiring Tom Cruise as the headliner. For his part, the star of the franchise Impossible mission showed interest in the project as early as 2006. But the actor will finally refuse the role following the late start of filming. Subsequently, Jon Favreau considered recruiting Nicolas Cage for a time to slip into the skin of the character of Tony Stark, before finally setting his sights on Robert Downey Jr. A choice that paid off, given that the actor has now become inseparable from this role.

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