The sequel to the “Avengers” Movie, “Avengers 2” is scheduled to begin filming early next year, according to the International Movie Database. Officially, Robert Downey Jr. has not signed a contract binding him to play Tony Stark. Currently this may not be even close to an issue for the movie. However, according to an interview Director Joss Whedon did with The Daily Beast, he has no plans to make Tony Stark anyone but Downey.
“I have no intention of making ‘Avengers 2’ without him,” Whedon told the magazine. “He is Iron Man in the way Sean Connery was James Bond.”
According to movie website Screen Rant, Downey had been on a four-film contract with Marvel—Iron Man , Iron Man 2, Avengers—and now that “Iron Man 3” is done and hit theaters, Downey has met the requirements of the contract.
In an interview Downey did with Screen Rant earlier this year he admitted that he believes Marvel may consider a replacement. “I’m sure they’ve thought about it,” he said.
He added that negotiations are moving along and he would like to stay on as Tony Stark. “I like being a company man.”
He also told Screen Rant why he wants to stay on as Tony Stark:
“There’s, to me, that kind of wish list or grab bag of things. ‘We haven’t been able to get this in the movie yet—maybe this time we’ll get to—!’ or whatever. I put so much onus on Iron Man 3. Iron Man 3 was supposed to answer all the questions for the audience, cure all of my uncomfortable moments in the past with playing this character, and get in every idea that fell by the wayside in the last three movies. And then we shot the movie and I still feel there’s a couple other things we’ve gotta do.”
And Joss Whedon agrees. He’s liked Downey as Tony Stark from the beginning.
“The day he was cast, I went up to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige and said, ‘You brilliant son of a b***h,’” Whedon said.
