Tartakovsky Armors Up for ‘Iron Man 2’
Ain’t It Cool News has an in depth interview with Jon Favreau about all sorts of stuff, ranging from his upcoming Couple’s Retreat to the revolutionary effect James Cameron’s Avatar will have on the movie industry. One of the greatest tidbits dropped by Favreau involves, unsurprisingly, Iron Man 2. According to the helmer, cartoon genius Genndy Tartakovsky has come aboard the flick as a storyboarder.
"I’ve always liked [Tartakovsky’s] Samurai Jack and I loved his Clone Wars vignettes," Favreau tells AICN. "We’re storyboarding and designing sequences, he and his team have come in, and I’m working with them and they’re working on collaborating with us on the project and that’s a new wrinkle … I feel like I’m really learning a lot."
Favreau acknowledges that Tartakovsky is a newcomer to live action, but his extensive Marvel knowledge and skill set as a fight choreographer bring an interesting viewpoint to the super-hero sequel. Besides, having an animator on board ups the ante, says Favreau.
"[Audiences] don’t just want to see Iron Man 1 all over again, they want to see us take it to another level," Favreau claims. "With a guy like Genndy … it opened a whole new world of possibilities and I’m really enjoying [it]. It really makes it fun to go to work."
The Russian born Tartakovsky is credited for creating, writing and directing Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack. He’s also worked on The Powerpuff Girls, The Powerpuff Girls Movie and the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated featurettes. The animator has also pitched a cartoon series of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower to HBO, but the odds are lessened by the success of Marvel’s Dark Tower comics. Additionally, Tartakovsky is directing Power of the Dark Crystal, a sequel to 1982’s cult classic The Dark Crystal.
It’s important to note that Favreau’s interview with AICN took place prior to Terrence Howard’s removal from Iron Man 2. As such, no mention of Howard exists in the interview. Nonetheless, the site’s founder and webmaster Harry Knowles chimed in on the rumors surrounding the actor’s removal.
"[Howard] was either making demands (financial or creative) that the production wasn’t willing to address to the degree that would make Terrence happy," Knowles conjectures. "But Terrence and [his replacement, Don] Cheadle have a very similar pay scale currently. So I can’t imagine it is financial."
Knowles offers up an interesting alternative theory: "The other factor it could be is if Terrence made himself difficult to work with, I have heard some very weird things about him recently, that is the sort of thing I don’t repeat, but I do know if he pulled these types of things around Jon [Favreau]… I completely would see why Howard would be shown the door."
Harry Knowles and Favreau previously worked together on an adaptation of John Carter of Mars that never came to fruition. Given their relationship, it’s possible that Knowles has an inside scoop Howard’s removal. Still, it’s unlikely that Favreau would tell Knowles even if he did know the real reason. In all likelihood, the truth of Howard’s departure from the Iron Man franchise will become one of Hollywood’s great untold stories, or, even likelier, will be forgotten in a few years.
