Iron Man

[polkablues]

palthrow doesn't even look annoying!

Just wait until you have to listen to her.

[MacGuffin]

New Iron Man Photo

Entertainment Weekly has published this new photo from Iron Man featuring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The Jon Favreau-directed film, also starring Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges, opens on May 2.

[MacGuffin]

Confirmed: Hilary Swank Will Appear In 'Iron Man'
Source: MTV

Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner are just a few actresses who've fallen short in superhero movies over the last few years. But now, could a million-dollar baby be in training to take on another underdog battle?

Marvel Studios mega-producer Avi Arad confirmed to us for the first time over the weekend that 2-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank filmed some top-secret moments for "Iron Man," the highly-anticipated superhero flick due in theaters next May. The news raises eyebrows not only because it isn't the type of film Swank normally appears in, but also because it could be assumed that her role would lay the groundwork for a future, bigger Marvel appearance. The rumor mill first began circulating Swank's name after director Jon Favreau capitalized the "s" in "Swank" in a MySpace blog post.

"How do you know [about that]?," a stunned Arad replied when asked about Swank. After a few beats, he admitted: "It's a cameo."

Following along the lines of secret "Iron Man" actors, the man behind the "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" films dodged a question about Samuel L. Jackson's foreshadowing scenes as Nick Fury, saying "I can't talk about that."

Clearly a bit frustrated, Arad then amended himself. "The Sam thing was supposed to be the biggest secret of them all," he shrugged. "It's amazing how it got out."

Nevertheless, the existence of Jackson's hard-boiled superspy reveals a newfound willingness by Marvel to begin mimicking the way its comics mix different characters into each other's storylines on a regular basis.

"It's because now we have control over the properties," Arad explained, citing the new era of Marvel funding such upcoming flicks as "Iron Man," "Nick Fury" and "Captain America," after a decade of holding hands with studios like Sony for Spider-Man or Fox for The Fantastic Four. "Now you can mix and match. It used to be different studios having different characters."

"You try and get three major studios to sit together and cross [promote]," he laughed. It's too tough."

On the Spider-Man front, Arad (who is shifting gears considerably with August 3rd's "Bratz: The Movie") gave us this update: "We're starting on our journey for number 4. We're just at the beginning of the process, feeling it, and feeling where we want to go."

Based on Arad's comments, however, fans might find it hard to not feel a bit speculative as to why a double-Oscar winning A-list actress would make a cameo in a superhero movie. Since "Iron Man" is laying the groundwork for the "Nick Fury" movie that Marvel hopes to begin filming relatively soon, one theory is that Swank will be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent alongside Sam the man.

But just as probable, it seems, is speculation that Swank might be setting herself up for a starring superhero flick down the line. And if there's one thing we've learned from her last award-winning performance, it's that she certainly has the physique to pull it off.

[Stefen]

The participation of Sam Jackson just crashed my hopes of this film being any good.

[RegularKarate]

The participation of Sam Jackson just crashed my hopes of this film being any good.

They actually draw the character as Sam Jackson in the Ultimates comics.  Have been for years.

[MacGuffin]

[Pubrick]

"the misunderstood genius of brett ratner" and "the shocking story of hitler's favourite director" must be connected somehow.

[Stefen]

The participation of Sam Jackson just crashed my hopes of this film being any good.

They actually draw the character as Sam Jackson in the Ultimates comics.  Have been for years.

A few years ago Sam Jackson was still respected and making good career choices.

These days? Not so much. And sadly, that's the reason I can see Sam Jackson taking the role "Shit, the script was horrible, but they drew me as the character! I'm IN!"

[MacGuffin]

Comic-Con Footage:

[72teeth]

hey, jon's skinny again....

yup.

[squints]

It looks cool. I can't believe they used that sabbath song.

[Raikus]

I can't believe they didn't use Ozzy's "I am... Iron Man" when they first showed the suit.

Oh well, there's still plenty of time for a hip marketing exec to put in that note for the tailer edit.

[MacGuffin]

Teaser Trailer here.

[MacGuffin]

Paramount grounds 'Iron Man'
Superhero flies in trailer but won't in film
Source: Variety

The trailer for Paramount's May tentpole "Iron Man" debuted last week, generating buzz among superhero fans.

The trailer features a generous helping of Robert Downey Jr. as sardonic arms dealer turned armored-warrior Tony Stark, glimpses of his armor and an impressive sequence where Iron Man flies, outracing fighter jets.

The sequence had to generate buzz, since that's the only reason it exists. It won't be in the movie. In fact, it wasn't even made for the movie.

A spokesman for Industrial Light & Magicconfirms that the flying Iron Man shots are not "finals" (completed, delivered visual effects) and were only made for the film's Comic-Con promo reel.

There's a tradition of creating material just for the trailer: Savvy scribes have long known that some scenes they write are likely to be in the trailer but not make it into the final cut.

One wag says he's often asked to write what he calls the "So Far" scene, where the lead might tell his best buddy, "So far, I've built a suit of armor that makes me a superhero, but I'm spending so much time fighting crime my girlfriend thinks I'm cheating on her."

Development execs like such scenes: They're useful in the trailer and superfluous in the film. But advance promotional shots are a bigger headache for visual f/x companies. Trailers have to go out months ahead of the f/x delivery date, at a time when the shop may still be in the midst of critical R&D. Temp effects and promotional shots eat up resources and time. And they're nitpicked by millions at a point when f/x pros might prefer not to be showing anything to anyone outside the office.

But they do grab fans' attention, as the "Iron Man" teaser did. So look for more stunning visuals in tentpole trailers to come.

Just don't count on them being in the film.

[MacGuffin]