‘Iron Man’: Robert Downey Jr. Recast?

Will Iron Man‘s Robert Downey Jr. be recast eventually?

Sources say it’s possible that the man who gave Iron Man his snarky wit may end up being recast in the future.

Iron Man may end up being like James Bond, switching out actors for the title role over various reasons such as the cost of keeping them around. According to IGN, Robert Downey Jr. cost Marvel nearly $50 million just for The Avengers alone. With Robert Downey Jr. around, Marvel can’t afford to not make every Iron Man movie a box office hit without losing a sizable percentage of their investment.

In classic Robert Downey Jr. fashion, the actor commented on the idea:

“Let’s just say that the only thing I ever let go of had claw marks in it. There’s a little bit of soul reclamation going on. I feel that the first time I played Tony, I did it best. Sorry! The affinity with Tony now is: how do you sustain something? I’m not stupid, I like to play ball, I love the company, I love the character, and the business side of things, I’m not [too] picky about that either.”

Kevin Feige, a big mover and shaker in the Marvel movie crowd, has said Robert Downey Jr. could eventually be replaced:

“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.”

Robert Downey Jr. apparently has no problem with that:

“It would probably be the best thing in the world for me. You know, ego… but sometimes ego just has to be smashed. Let’s see what happens. I take the audience very seriously – I feel bad when I see folks doing movies and the audience is like, ‘Don’t do that anymore.’ I don’t have to overstay my welcome…”

However, in a statement Robert Downey Jr. made last year on MTV, he really won’t mind sticking around:

“I would really hate for someone else to think they could step into my shoes.”

What do you think about Robert Downey Jr. eventually being recast as Iron Man?

Robert Downey Jr. Says Being Recast As Iron Man Would “Probably Be The Best Thing In The World” bit.ly/ZxSdb9

— The Mary Sue (@TheMarySue) February 26, 2013