Brace yourselves fans: Jon Favreau has announced that he won't be directing Iron Man 3. The reasons why are unknown (too busy? Problems with Marvel? Not enough money?), but regardless it's a done deal and Favreau has informed Marvel of his decision, forcing them to quickly begin searching for a new director in order to bring them up to speed so that they're ready to deliver the third installment by its May 3, 2013 release date.
Speaking to the LA Times, Favreau said of his decision, "Marvel and I both came of age together," Favreau said. "The years that we shared were a pivotal experience. Kevin [Feige] has a firm grasp on the many franchises and how they all interweave and I am happy that I had the opportunity to establish the world that these characters can now play in….'Iron Man' has given me tremendous opportunities and Kevin and I are enjoying a lot of momentum in our careers thanks to the 'Iron Man' films. I look forward to seeing what others can do playing in the same world."
No word on who Marvel is looking at to replace Favreau, but chances are they'll start by going to the guys who are currently involved in making other Marvel movies, like Joe Johnston (Captain America), Joss Whedon (The Avengers), or even Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk). Up next for Favreau is a movie for Disney called Magic Kingdom that, like the Marvel franchises, will weave together a storyline that includes all the different characters and attractions found in Disney's Magic Kingdom.
Says Favreau, "Those movies and attractions haunted my dreams and made a deep impression on me as a child. When I first heard about the ['Magic Kingdom' film] project, I was on my way to visit Disneyland with my family. I took notes and had no problem filling a book with all the ideas that this concept offered, even on first blush. Since then, I was lucky enough to be given a tour of Imagineering by Tony Baxter, who knows just about everything there is to know about Disneyland. He pulled original concept art from the archives for me and exposed me to Walt's original vision."
Who do you think should replace Favreau as director on Iron Man 3?
