Robert Downey Jr. was born to play ‘Iron Man.’ No one could top him as the genius-philanthropist-playboy-billionaire. His success with ‘Iron Man’ built the house of the MCU. But Downey Jr. was being eyed for a different role in a different film. ‘Iron Man’ was not on the table.
Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige discussed how the studio was looking at Downey Jr. for a different role. The 58-year-old actor was testing to play Doctor Doom in the ‘Fantastic Four’ movie. But meeting him, Feige was convinced that Downey Jr would get them across the line. And the rest is franchise history.
Jon Favreau Remembers Almost Casting Robert Downey Jr. In ‘Fantastic Four’
‘Iron Man’ director Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige sat down to talk about the process of making Robert Downey Jr. part of the MCU. Favreau recalled how initially, Downey Jr. was supposed to be Doctor Doom in ‘Fantastic Four.’ He recalled, “I think he had come through on like maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was,”
Jon Favreau said he ended after seeing “that spark in him,” the part was meant to be for Downey Jr. He added, “Once it was him, that’s when my life got a lot easier because he undersood the voice of the character. And then one by one, people were just signing on board because now it became something interesting.”
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Kevin Feige Calls Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU Casting Historical For Hollywood
It’s been 15 years since the release of ‘Iron Man’ movie. Jon Favreau made a Marvel movie at a time there was no blueprint. But there’s no denying it was Robert Downey Jr.‘s unmatchable performance that gave Marvel the confidence to become one of the most successful film studios of all time. Kevin Feige sat down with Jon Favreau to talk about the movie that started it all.
Kevin Feige explained to Jon Favreau how casting Robert Downey Jr was the best thing that happened to them. He said, “It wasn’t really until we cast Robert that we knew what the take was, and once we cast Robert, every decision became a lot easier.” Feige believes Robert Downey Jr.’s casting is “one of the greatest decisions in the history of Hollywood.”
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