Jon Favreau will not be returning to direct Iron Man 3. He confirmed the news himself this afternoon via Twitter after Vulture got the internet buzzing earlier in the day. Instead of opting to complete the superhero trilogy, Favreau will helm Magic Kingdom for Disney as his follow-up to his upcoming July release, Cowboys and Aliens.
Favreau tweeted only a few minutes ago 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.”
It was only a week ago Favreau was spilling the beans on what he understood Marvel’s plans were for the future of the franchise telling MTV, “Kevin Feige, who’s been involved with superhero movies with Marvel movies since the X-Men films, is very aware of his path and how to weave [things together], so in theory, Iron Man 3 is going to be a sequel or continuation of Thor, Hulk, Captain America and Avengers… This whole world… I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from conversations I’ve had with those guys.”
I had always thought Favreau was done with the franchise after Iron Man 2, but when he decided to openly comment on where things may be heading it gave me a moment of pause, but today it’s confirmed he’s moving on. So who steps in? Well, as Vulture’s Claude Brodesser-Akner points out that’s going to be an interesting task for Marvel as the film’s star, Robert Downey Jr., has “contractually negotiated director approval.”
Iron Man 3 is currently slated for a May 3, 2013 release and won’t likely shoot until 2012, so there is still a lot of time to find a helmer, especially since there still isn’t a script.
As for Favreau’s Magic Kingdom, it was penned by “Battlestar Galactica” writer/co-creator Ronald Moore and centers on a family trapped in Disneyland and their magical encounters with all sorts of Disney attractions and rides.
