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IRON MAN 2 is currently making insane amounts of money in theaters, and effectively kicking off the summer movie season with gusto, but is it too soon to talk about what we can expect from a third installment for the popular franchise? Director Jon Favreau doesn’t seem to think so. In a recent interview with MTV (posted by my buddy Rick Marshall, who is living the dream), Favs talked about who the baddie should and could be the next villain for ol’ Shellhead. But with Marvel impending films, like THOR and THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA, there’s no real easy way to answer questions about the future of any franchise to come out of the comic company. When asked specifically what to expect from here on, Jon had this to say:
“I would like ‘Iron Man 3’ to pay it off, but there’s so much I don’t understand yet about what the world is going to be like then,” said Favreau. “You’ve got ‘Thor,’ ‘Captain America,’ ‘Avengers’ all happening with different directors before ‘Iron Man 3’ — and that’s all going to affect ‘Iron Man 3.'”
“What’s going to have happened by then?” he asked. “With ‘Thor,’ you’re going to have all this supernatural stuff happening and magic and there’s a lot of stuff going on in the world. If it’s going to match the comic books, it’s going to be incredibly complex for film.”
As for Iron Man’s ten-ringed nemesis The Mandarin, Favreau said the villain is still very much in play for the third film — but bringing him to the screen isn’t without its issues.
“You have to do The Mandarin,” he said. “The problem with The Mandarin is, the way it’s depicted in the comic books, you don’t want to see that. He also has 10 magical rings, and it just doesn’t feel right for our thing, so it’s either tech-based or the rings are not really rings.”
“But maybe with ‘Thor’ and all those others you’ll introduce magic to that world and it won’t seem so out of place,” he said.
I think Favreau has proven there’s a way to adapt all of the comic ideas for the big screen, and even someone as unusual as The Mandarin should be workable in the right writer’s hands. I didn’t think IRON MAN 2 was as good as the first movie (a sentiment many seem to share with me), but I did think it was a very, very fun ride. While a third IRON MAN could be a way off, I do hope the classic Marvel villain finally gets some screentime, and especially in the hands of Favreau. Here’s the video clip of the MTV interview:
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
