Caffeinated Clint
If Mel Gibson directs it, Robert Downey Jr will do “Iron Man 4”.
Or so he says… or rather, so Deadline had him say.
Here’s an explanation :
DEADLINE: When you played Iron Man the first time for Marvel, your portrayal of this existentially tortured superhero was as fully realized as anyone who has done one of these films. We’re in Oscar season. What should Oscar voters consider before they immediately sweep those superhero performances to the side as they usually do?
DOWNEY: Nothing. When Chris Reeve was Superman and Michael Keaton the first Batman, I never would have believed how dominant this genre could become, with intrigue, suspense, family. I have no beef with the way anything goes down. I was gob smacked when I work up one morning and heard, “You’re nominated for Tropic Thunder,” and I was like, “Huh?” If someone really takes a risk, it doesn’t get dismissed. That’s what happened when the Oscar was won posthumously by Heath Ledger, who did one of the definitive villain performances of all time. But it really has to be exceptional in defining everything we previously knew about the actress or the actor.DEADLINE: I’ve read you said you won’t do Iron Man 4, though it seems smart business to keep that franchise character beach head even just for Avengers installments. But you’ve made your fortune, and you’re an artist. What is your relationship with Iron Man, going forward?
DOWNEY: That’s all being talked about on a bunch of different levels right now. To me, it comes down to what’s the half-life of people enjoying a character? It’s different on TV, where you expect the longevity over seasons while movies get a two or three year break. Marvel keeps stepping up its game, and I appreciate the way Kevin Feige and all the creatives there think. They are as in the creative wheelhouse as any great studio has been at any point. So it becomes a matter of, at what point do I cease to be an asset to what they’re doing, and at what point do I feel I am spending so much time either shooting or promoting these films that I’m not actually able to get off the beachhead and do the kind of other stuff that is good for all of us. Each one of those movies is spread over two years and some people fit other things in. But I’m not 42, I’m turning 50 and now I’ll have two small kids instead of one grown one, and eight Team Downey projects with people who are imagining I’m not just spending Warner Bros’ money out of vanity, but that I’m taking it seriously. It all has become this thing that has to be figured out. It has come to a head, right now, where the points of departure will be.
DEADLINE: We have written often, suggesting that Mel Gibson be given another chance in Hollywood, after atoning for the regrettable things he said. Awhile back, when studios were reluctant to hire you and there were exorbitant insurance premiums, he put you in a movie, took care of all that and helped you when you needed it. As Hollywood’s best example that not giving up on a talented person can result in redemption, can you make a case for why he should be back directing and starring in movies again?
DOWNEY: Well, first off, he has changed so much. Nobody should make a case for somebody who just wants forgiveness but hasn’t changed, but he’s a fundamentally different guy. I think it was just the very worst aspects of somebody’s psyche being treated as though they were the blanket statement about a person. But honestly we are talking about a competitive business and it all comes down to this: because he is so gifted as a story teller and a director, I don’t know that he requires some sort of mass forgiveness. He has changed, but at the same time he’s still Mel. He and I are so similar in so many ways. He really, honestly is the first to admit his character defects and also is just a great, great collaborative guy. I always say too that if you want to judge a man or a woman then look at their kids. He has the healthiest, happiest, most productive kids you could ever meet or know, and I’m fortunate to be friendly with several of them. He did a lot right, and there’s stuff he taught me about parenting that didn’t sink in at the time but have proven to be true. We’re writing this thing right now, Yucatan…DEADLINE: That’s the project Steve McQueen developed for himself.
DOWNEY: Yes, and I’m like, God, if I could find a part for Mel. But he also likes to do his own thing and sometimes he goes out of his way to do the unexpected. Sometimes with these things, it becomes a matter of time, and is seems like it’s getting a little bit old to hold a grudge.DEADLINE: True, but the year he made Apocalypto, I didn’t see a better movie and he was ignored and hasn’t directed since. Marvel badly wants Iron Man 4 and you’ve said you aren’t doing it. How about the idea you’ll do that movie if Mel directs it?
DOWNEY: Correct.DEADLINE: Is that our headline?
DOWNEY: Why not? That movie would be bananas.
