Jon Favreau Says Robert Downey Jr. Was in Talks for Fantastic Four – The Hollywood Reporter
It might be hard to imagine Robert Downey Jr. as anyone other than Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but director Jon Favreau revealed that he had been considered for another superhero project before he became the beloved Tony Stark.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Iron Manwhich kicked off Phase 1 of the MCU in 2008, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Favreau sat down to look back at how the movie could turn out with Downey as the lead.
“I remember you all met him [Downey] Already like Dr. Doom or something in another project,” The Mandalorian said the Creator. “I think it may have been that way Fantastic FourSo everyone kind of knew who he was.”
Favreau wouldn’t confirm how far Downey had come in the auditioning process for 2005’s Tim Story, but at the time, the film rights were up for grabs. Fantastic Four It was owned by 20th Century Fox until Disney acquired the studio in 2019.
The director said that they ended up bringing the actor in for a screen test Iron Man That’s when they saw “that spark in him” and knew he was perfect for the role.
“Once I became him, my life became a lot easier because he understood the voice of the character,” Favreau explained. “And then, one by one, people were signing the board because now it was something interesting.”
Iron Man It went on to earn over $585 million worldwide, plus Downey reprising the role in two Iron Man sequel, four The Avengers films Captain America: Civil War and more. Feige also credits Downey for helping make the MCU what it is today.
“I remember in the later films — we’ll talk about it on the 15th anniversary of those — there were dark days,” said the Marvel president. “I would say to Robert, ‘We wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for you,’ which means we wouldn’t have a studio if it weren’t for him. Or you [Favreau]. “