Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures.1 It is the first installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Jon Favreau, with a screenplay by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. It stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub and Gwyneth Paltrow. In Iron Man, Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer, builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero Iron Man.
The film had been in development since 1990 at Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, or New Line Cinema at various times, before Marvel Studios reacquired the rights in 2006. Marvel put the project in production as its first self-financed film, with Paramount Pictures as its distributor. Favreau signed on as director, aiming for a naturalistic feel, and he chose to shoot the film primarily in California, rejecting the East Coast setting of the comics to differentiate the film from numerous superhero films set in New York City-esque environments. During filming, the actors were free to create their own dialogue because pre-production was focused on the story and action. Rubber and metal versions of the armors, created by Stan Winston's company, were mixed with computer-generated imagery to create the title character.
Iron Man premiered in Sydney on April 14, 2008, and was released in theaters on May 2, 2008. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $585.1 million, and garnering widespread critical acclaim, with Downey's performance as Tony Stark particularly praised. The American Film Institute selected the film as one of the ten best of the year. A sequel, Iron Man 2, was released on May 7, 2010, and another sequel, Iron Man 3, was released on May 3, 2013.
Cast:Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:
An industrialist, genius inventor, and consummate playboy, he is CEO of Stark Industries and a chief weapons manufacturer for the U.S. military. Favreau had planned to cast a newcomer in the role,but ultimately chose Downey, a fan of the comic,because he felt the actor's past made him an appropriate choice for the part, explaing that "The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark. Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic book character who is having trouble in high school, or can't get the girl."Favreau felt Downey could make Stark a "likable asshole," but also depict an authentic emotional journey once he won over the audience.Downey had an office next to Favreau during pre-production, which allowed him greater involvement in the screenwriting process.He brought a deeper sense of humor to the film not present in previous drafts of the script.Downey explained, "What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you're supposed to buy into all his 'Let's go do some good!' That Eliot Ness-in-a-cape-type thing. What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he's unrecognizable. When someone used to be a schmuck and they're not anymore, hopefully they still have a sense of humor." To prepare, Downey spent five days a week weight training and practiced martial arts to get into shape,which he said benefited him because "it's hard not to have a personality meltdown [...] after about several hours in that suit. I'm calling up every therapeutic moment I can think of to just get through the day."Terrence Howard as Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes:
A friend of Stark's, and the liaison between Stark Industries and the United States Air Force in the department of acquisitions, specifically weapons development. Favreau cast Howard because he felt he could play War Machine in a sequel.Howard prepared for the role by visiting Nellis Air Force Base on March 16, 2007, where he ate with the pilots and observed HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and F-22 Raptors.While Rhodes is roguish in the comics after he met Stark, his earlier disciplinarian character forms a dynamic with Stark, and he is unsure whether or not Stark's actions are acceptable. "Rhodey is completely disgusted with the way Tony has lived his life, but at a certain point he realizes that perhaps there is a different way," Howard said. "Whose life is the right way; is it the strict military life, or the life of an independent?"Howard and his father are Iron Man fans, partly because Rhodes was one of the few black superheroes when he was a child.He was a Downey fan since he saw him in Weird Science, and the two competed physically on set.
Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane:
Stark's business second-in-command. Bridges read the comics as a boy and liked Favreau's modern, realistic approach. He shaved his head, something he had wanted to do for some time, and grew a beard for the role. Bridges googled the Book of Obadiah, and was surprised to learn retribution is a major theme in that particular book of the Bible, something which Stane represents.Many of Stane's scenes were cut out to focus more on Stark, but the writers felt Bridges's performance allowed the application of "less is more".
Shaun Toub as Yinsen:
Stark's fellow captive, who grafts an electromagnet to Stark's chest "to keep the shrapnel shell shards that wounded him from reaching his heart and killing him", and who helps Stark build the first Iron Man suit.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts:
Stark's personal assistant and budding love interest. Paltrow asked Marvel to send her any comics that they would consider relevant to her understanding of the character, who she considered to be very smart, levelheaded, and grounded. She said she liked "the fact that there's a sexuality that's not blatant." Favreau wanted Potts' and Stark's relationship to be reminiscent of a 1940s comedy, something which Paltrow considered to be fun in a sexy, yet innocent way.
Additionally, Faran Tahir appears as Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings; Paul Bettany voices J.A.R.V.I.S., Stark's personal AI system; Leslie Bibb portrays Christine Everhart, a reporter for Vanity Fair; and Clark Gregg appears as Phil Coulson, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D..[18] Will Lyman provides the voiceover during the opening award ceremony.Samuel L. Jackson cameos as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., in a post-credits scene.Jackson's face was previously used as the model for that of the Ultimate Marvel imprint version of Nick Fury.Other cameos in the film include: Stan Lee as himself, being mistaken for Hugh Hefner by Stark at a party;director Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Stark's bodyguard and chauffeur;Tom Morello, who also provides additional guitar music for the film, as a terrorist guard;and Jim Cramer as himself.Ghostface Killah had a cameo in a scene where Stark briefly stays in Dubai, but the scene was cut from the theatrical release for pacing reasons.
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