“Iron Man” is broadcast this evening on W9. The opportunity to take stock of the projects of his interpreter Robert Downey Jr, recently awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for “Oppenheimer”.
16 years ago, Marvel launched the biggest franchise in cinema history with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. In the film, broadcast this evening on W9, Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark. This genius inventor, arms salesman and billionaire playboy is kidnapped in Afghanistan. Forced by his captors to create a formidable weapon, he secretly constructs a revolutionary high-tech armor that he uses to escape. Understanding the power of this armor, he decides to improve it and use it to bring justice and protect the innocent.
A role that the American actor reprises 9 times in the various MCU films until Avengers: Endgame in 2019. For many, the sacrifice of Tony Stark remains one of the highlights of the shared Marvel universe and marks the end of a cycle. The film was a critical and public success and grossed $2.79 billion worldwide. It is the second biggest success at the international box office behind James Cameron’s Avatar.
Since then, the 59-year-old actor has distinguished himself in Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan in which he plays the role of Lewis Strauss, which also earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Robert Downey Jr. is currently in the cast of the historical series The Sympathizer created by Park Chan-Wook and Don McKellar. He slips into the shoes of four characters, each representing a different aspect of American society.
What are Robert Downey Jr’s plans? We take stock.
Robert Downey Jr. in the remake of a cult film
Robert Downey Jr. should soon head to the film set of the remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Cold Sweat. The actor will reprise the role played by James Stewart in the 1958 thriller, that of a police inspector subject to vertigo. Made responsible for the death of one of his colleagues during a chase on the roofs, he decides to leave his job. But he is asked by a former relationship to follow a woman, Madeleine, with whom he falls in love.
Backgrid USA / Bestimage Robert Downey Jr.
This new adaptation of the novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac published in 1954 (entitled “From the dead” before being renamed “Cold sweat” after the release of Hitchcock’s film) is written by Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders.
During an interview with the magazine The New York TimesRobert Downey Jr explained that it was his passion for climbing that pushed him to join this project: “Do you know why I wanted to make this film? I’m a rock climber and one day I got stuck and I really freaked out. If I hadn’t been ashamed, I would have asked to be lifted up. this rock I lost confidence in my position, the fall was too great and my body reacted.
It wasn’t fight or flight, it was a freeze. I will never forget it and it made me think that there are cinematic devices that have not yet been fully used that I think would shed light on: “What is this being psychologically frightened by something that should be manageable?” It could be entertaining.”
Paramount
James Stewart in Cold Sweats
The actor, who also produces the film, will therefore try to give a new dimension to this cult film often considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Cold sweat came, in 2012, at the top of the famous survey Sight & Sound for best film, passing long-time champion Citizen Kane. But in 2022, Alfred Hitchcock’s film has been supplanted by Chantal Akerman’s film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, released in 1975 and voted best film in the history of cinema.
Vertigo is, to date, one of Robert Downey Jr.’s only official projects.
Soon a Sherlock Holmes 3?
Announced for many years, the third part of Sherlock Holmes does not seem to be moving forward. In June 2021, visiting the podcast Just The Facts with Alex Zanedirector Dexter Fletcher declared: “We started working on it and then Covid hit, and they were like, ‘Look, we’re going to pause it and Robert has something else he wants to do’.”
Warner Bros.
Sherlock Holmes
We will have to wait until 2023 to hear about the film again. The producer – and wife of the actor – Susan Downey gave encouraging news on the microphone of UnWrapped : “The film is still in the works. We’re going to do it at the right time, with the right people, but it’s a priority for our company and a priority for Robert. (…) As much as we want it to come to fruition, sometimes we have to let a certain number of things unfold before really getting started, and maybe it will happen naturally.”
Sherlock Holmes 3 should therefore be done well… one day.
Robert Downey Jr back as Iron Man?
In the meantime, will we see Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man again? While the actor has expressed his desire to reprise his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel boss Kevin Feige has refuted the claim that he is considering bringing back Iron Man. Addressing Vanity Fair, he said the studio couldn’t “magically undo” Tony Stark’s death in Endgame. “We’re going to keep this moment and never touch it again“, did he declare. “We have all worked very hard for many years to achieve this, and we would never want to magically undo it.”
Comments supported by directors Joe and Anthony Russo who add to the microphone of GamesRadar : “We concluded this book, so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it and I don’t know how they would do that.”
The Iron Man adventure therefore seems to be over for Robert Downey Jr.