What Marvel Studios Should Do Post Actors leaving Series

webhead2006 Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:37 pm

Some Comments from Kevin feige on RDJr, and others once they decide to step away from characters:
http://badassdigest.com/2012/04/27/marvels-kevin-feige-says-iron-man-is-like-james-bond-you-can-change-the-act?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+badassdigest+%28Badass+Digest+ALL%29

Marvel’s Kevin Feige Says Iron Man Is Like James Bond - You Can Change The Actor

How many IRON MAN movies does Robert Downey Jr have in him? Nobody knows, but Tony Stark will live beyond Downey.
Marvel’s Kevin Feige Says Iron Man Is Like James Bond - You Can Change The Actor

Iron Man 3 is going to be Robert Downey Jr's fourth turn as Tony Stark (we're not counting that cameo in The Incredible Hulk). How many Iron Man movies does the actor have in him? I'd guarantee he comes back for The Avengers 2, and then...? It's not impossible to believe that Downey taps out after five or six movies*.

What does Marvel do then? There are big plans in place for the Marvel Movie Universe, and I'm sure the company would like to keep Iron Man in that universe. Where do they go when Downey decides he's done it enough? I took the question right to Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, when I sat down with him for a one on one interview. Would they reboot the series if Downey left, I asked, or would it be like (pre-Casino Royale) Bond, where a new guy took the role and nobody said anything?

"I think Bond is a good example. Let’s put it this way: I hope Downey makes a lot of movies for us as Stark. If and when he doesn’t, and I’m still here making these movies, we don’t take him to Afghanistan and have him wounded again. I think we James Bond it."

I mentioned to Feige that it's easier in the world of comics because pen and ink characters can stay the same age forever. That's not a problem for the Movieverse, he said.

"I think [the character] can age with the actor, if the actor stays with it."

With Iron Man that's actually easy - Downey doesn't have to be in the suit at all, he can just lend his voice to those scenes (which I think is basically what's happening at this point anyway, as opposed to the first film, where he spent more time in the actual armor). And that could keep Downey in for an Avengers 3, if his role ends up being a glorified voice over bit. And since Downey will probably be 50 by the time Avengers 2 hits...

By the way, Feige led this answer off with a little riff on reboots. Since I earlier today spread a little Sony gossip about The Amazing Spider-Man, I thought it was only fair to let Feige have his say on the movie:

"I think the term reboot has got to go. I think it’s like after the Star Wars movies nobody likes the idea of prequels, and reboots have turned into the same thing. It means ‘Oh they’ve run out of ideas! It’s bad.’ I’ve seen The Amazing Spider-Man. It’s awesome. It’s totally fresh and unique."

* Actors who get into Marvel movies now sign very binding multiple picture deals. It's unclear what Downey's deal looks like, as he was the guy who came on when The Avengers was just sort of a pipe dream. If he signed a standard Hollywood type deal, he's locked in for three Iron Man movies and that's it.

What are your guys thoughts on switching actors and just continuing new adventures with different casts ala james bond? For me i think i would be ok with this direction. As long as they keep on picking solid choices for characters. I always had the feeling the superheroes movies should be treated like bond get 3-5 films out of one actor, and then move on with another. But since we never really had series go more then 2 or 3 films with one actor(minus christopher reeve). We never had the chance of it happening before. So would be cool to see something like that happen.

thecolorsblend Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:28 am

Mmm. I dunno. Downey is so associated with the role (or maybe vice versa) that it's hard to believe there's an actor out there who can step into the role with the same bravado and over-confidence that is Downey's entire trademark without being accused of doing a Downey ripoff. How many big name actors want that kind of pressure? So, as with hack directors replacing gifted ones just to maintain continuity, you gotta wonder if they'll find some hack actor who'll STFU, do what he's told and just read the lines. If we were talking about replacing Hemsworth, Evans, Johansen, Ruffalo or any of the rest, I wouldn't say that. But Downey? You've got your work cut out for you there.

non_amos Sat Apr 28, 2012 1:33 pm

It would definitely be tough to replace RDJ but the Hulk already has a 'revolving door' policy huh? Rolling Eyes

I know it's not Marvel but the original Tim Burton Batman series could've benefited from the 'James Bond syndrome' but only if it had been handled properly! In a 'perfect world' (quote from B89), I think Michael Keaton should've had at least 3 or 4 films & apparently he almost had 3. The Joker should not have been killed off so that, whether Nicholson or another actor, the Joker could've been a recurring villain. The tone of the 1st film should've been kept throughout the film series & Joel Shumacher should've not been within a million miles of this franchise. So instead of Nolan having to come along in 2005 & 'reboot' this franchise, they could've just kept making films until this day. Certainly by Batman 5 Keaton would've checked out but say, take a 3-year break, then rebuild the hype for the franchise & keep rolling.

If you think about it, this same thing could've been done for the SPIDERMAN franchise as well. It also should've been done for the SUPERMAN franchise & in a sense, it almost was, what with 'SUPERMAN: the NEW MOVIE' starring Gerard Christopher inheriting the role from Reeve & story by Cary Bates.

The point is, if they'd do this with the comics film franchises, it could still work if done right! Reboots would be unnecessary. But herein lies the problem. The franchises end up being 'screwed up' beyond repair & someone has to rescue them. Again. SINGERMAN anyone?! Mad

thecolorsblend Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:20 pm

non_amos wrote:It would definitely be tough to replace RDJ but the Hulk already has a 'revolving door' policy huh?

That wasn't intended to be a shot; just an acknowledgement that probably only Batman has had more recasts.

non_amos wrote:I know it's not Marvel but the original Tim Burton Batman series could've benefited from the 'James Bond syndrome' but only if it had been handled properly! In a 'perfect world' (quote from B89), I think Michael Keaton should've had at least 3 or 4 films & apparently he almost had 3. The Joker should not have been killed off so that, whether Nicholson or another actor, the Joker could've been a recurring villain.

Keaton apparently thought of Batman as having a lot of life. I read some interview from the late 90's (after B&R came and went) and he said that if he could've had it his way, he'd still be making Batman movies. He's got a lot of love for that character. I thought that was really cool and mature of him. He wasn't bitter about it; he just regretted how things went down.

non_amos wrote:The tone of the 1st film should've been kept throughout the film series & Joel Shumacher should've not been within a million miles of this franchise. So instead of Nolan having to come along in 2005 & 'reboot' this franchise, they could've just kept making films until this day. Certainly by Batman 5 Keaton would've checked out but say, take a 3-year break, then rebuild the hype for the franchise & keep rolling.

If you think about it, this same thing could've been done for the SPIDERMAN franchise as well. It also should've been done for the SUPERMAN franchise & in a sense, it almost was, what with 'SUPERMAN: the NEW MOVIE' starring Gerard Christopher inheriting the role from Reeve & story by Cary Bates.

I've wondered more than once how Christopher would've fared in a feature film. If you go back and watch the Superboy show, he started off very strong in the role and then got better and better and better in every subsequent freakin episode. He could have been Superman for a new generation. People love to piss all over the Salkinds but they never get credit for coming to understand what makes Superman tick. When people bitch about them, I always ask if they're so clueless about the character, why was Superboy, as a character, written pretty much note perfect? Maybe Christopher wouldn't have managed to charm wide audiences the same way Reeve did. Totally a possibility. But you know what? There's no possible way he'd have been any worse than Blandon was.

non_amos wrote:The point is, if they'd do this with the comics film franchises, it could still work if done right! Reboots would be unnecessary. But herein lies the problem. The franchises end up being 'screwed up' beyond repair & someone has to rescue them. Again. SINGERMAN anyone?!

I think audiences expect continuity between films. Plus, there comes a time when a new take on a character, including his origin, really benefits the material. For example, Superman was in desperate need of a reboot in 2006. Sure, there was Smallville but (A) that doesn't really count as it was a TV show and (B) even if it did, it had a fair number of Donnerisms going. So what did we get? A pathetic attempt to make a "new Superman III" that wide audiences forgot about the day after it came out. Maybe it was inevitable but I'd like to think a talented filmmaker with a vision for the material could have and would have given us something unforgettable.

Apologist Puncher Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:13 am

thecolorsblend wrote:Mmm. I dunno. Downey is so associated with the role (or maybe vice versa) that it's hard to believe there's an actor out there who can step into the role with the same bravado and over-confidence that is Downey's entire trademark without being accused of doing a Downey ripoff.

A lot of people said the same thing about Sean Connery as James Bond. But they did it, and a lot of them did it well.

How many big name actors want that kind of pressure? So, as with hack directors replacing gifted ones just to maintain continuity, you gotta wonder if they'll find some hack actor who'll STFU, do what he's told and just read the lines. If we were talking about replacing Hemsworth, Evans, Johansen, Ruffalo or any of the rest, I wouldn't say that. But Downey? You've got your work cut out for you there.

I think Tom Cruise could do it, if he wanted. And years ago, he DID want to.

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