Yesterday on Ellen, Robert Downey Jr. said he and Marvel were in the middle of negotiations for Iron Man 4. However, later that night, he went on The Late Show, and told David Letterman that not only is there no script, but when pressed to give a definitive answer on whether he would do the movie, Downey responded:
"Just between us, no — but I'm going to do other stuff with Marvel. I'm still going to be involved with Marvel and there's going to be plenty of other fun stuff."
He also said that Marvel does "have a plan, and I think they're going to announce — they're very secretive about it," which is a statement one could say about Marvel Studios at any point in time. Hit the jump for more. Downey will next be seen as Iron Man in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which opens on May 1, 2015.
Personally, I think it's far too early for these questions any way. I don't think anyone at Marvel would necessarily be opposed to a fourth Iron Man starring Downey, but the brand is now bigger than any one property or actor. The studio is about making long-term plans, and while that may include Downey as Iron Man, it doesn't mean we're getting Iron Man 4 any time soon.
For Downey's part, he may not even want to return, but he's certainly not going to burn that bridge. Next week, if there's an announcement in the trades that says "Robert Downey Jr. Signs on to Star in Iron Man 4", is anyone going to whine and point to this Letterman interview and say, "But he said he wasn't going to do it!" No, they'll be super excited and want to know every single thing they can about the movie.
Here's the video of Downey talking Iron Man 4 and Marvel on The Late Show:
