Jon Favreau took to Twitter yesterday to let the tweeting world know, he’s decided to break up with Iron Man, confirming earlier rumors. Shock. Horror.
The tweet was short but firm, with Jon simply saying “It’s true, I’m directing Magic Kingdom, not Iron Man 3. I’ve had a great run with Marvel and wish them the best.”
But Twitter only gives the writer 140 characters, not nearly enough for Favreau to explain his decision properly. Instead, the man soon to be unleashing Cowboys and Aliens into the world, spoke to the Los Angeles Times to explain why exactly he’s had enough of Tony Stark and his mechanical outfit. He told writer Geoff Boucher that his main reason for giving up on Iron Man was to instead “find something that lights a fire” inside of him. Something that is able to “blow people away, which is easier to do with a project that isn’t loaded with built-in expectations”. Could the pressure of superseding his previous Marvel films have scared Favreau away?
“Marvel and I both came of age together. The years that we shared were a pivotal experience. Kevin [Feige, Marvel] 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.”
Speaking about his next movie, Magic Kingdom, Favreau mentioned that this is a production that will fulfill a lifelong dream.
“Between the theme parks and the movies, the Disney iconography was probably the first set of archetypes that I was exposed to. Walt was able to expose me as a child to the full array of emotions, including fear and sorrow. 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.”
Cowboys & Aliens will hit theaters July 2011.
Do you think the Iron Man franchise can survive without Favreau at the helm?