Thu Oct 2, 2008 — by Josh Wigler

Jon Favreau Discusses 'Iron Man 2'

Director Talks Villains, Heroes and More

With Iron Man 2 set to fly on May 7, 2010, it's no wonder that director Jon Favreau is hard at work tuning up Tony's armor and gadgets for his next adventure. But the big lug loves his fans so much that he took time out of his busy schedule to give an update on the upcoming sequel. Favreau participated in a live chat with fans through the LA Times yesterday and divulged plenty of information about Iron Man 2.

As of now, the film is still in the writing stages. "I'm working with Justin [Theroux], a writer," Favreau says. "He's writing the first draft of the script. I'm working with a story board artist, [as] well as designing the costumes for good guys and bad guys."

The mention of "good guys" as a plural indicates that War Machine is a sure bet, "shoulder cannons and all," Favreau teases. But he also responds to a question about Nick Fury's further involvement by saying, "SHIELD is important to the franchise, and what is SHIELD without Fury?"

As for those "bad guys," Favreau's sticking to his stance that Mandarin and other villains "don't hold up well to time and to the big screen, but their essence should inspire the characters." Nonetheless, the director has an "interesting take" on the ring-clad baddie which "allows us to incorporate the whole pantheon of villains." Can you say Fing Fang Foom?

Fans of the current Invincible Iron Man comic will be happy to hear that Favreau is a fan as well. "We flew [Matt Fraction] out to LA to discuss the story," he says. "He's a great comic writer. Also, love Adi [Granov's] art. He will work on the movie's designs."

Tony's world is significantly changed for Iron Man 2, thanks to his public admission that he is indeed the Armored Avenger. "We have now officially departed from the secret identity superhero," Favreau declares. "Tony was already famous before the announcement. What would really happen if this went down? [It'll be] fun to explore."

Could that newfound public pressure lead in to a big screen version of Tony's alcoholic struggle? "Stark has issues with booze," admits Favreau. "That's part of who he is. I don't think we'll ever do the Leaving Las Vegas version, but it will be dealt with."

While Iron Man was a smash hit this summer, Favreau acknowledges another film that made a little bit of noise. "Dark Knight was a huge cultural event," he says. "It gave our genre a newfound credibility."

"I would be happy to be the Pepsi to [The Dark Knight's] Coke for the next ten years."

Pepsi shmepsi, we're just happy to hear that Favreau wants to stick with Iron Man for ten years!

For more on all things Iron Man, including who Favreau thinks would've made a solid Tony, check out the full chat transcript.

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