Iron Man 2 to begin production soon, or maybe not

There's news about Tony Stark on the horizon, and we're not talking about Ghostface Killah. Soon after the revelation that Robert Downey Jr. will be making a cameo in the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie, Marvel announced that Iron Man 2 is set to begin filming next year, in time for an April 30th, 2010 release.

Terrence Howard revealed that he will be reprising his role as Col. Rhodes from the first movie, which means that he'll most likely be donning the mantle of War Machine, though it's feasible that he might take over as Iron Man if the film follows the comic book's plot of Stark lapsing into alcoholism and abdicating his superhero-dom.

It's not all sunshine, lollipops and arc-reactor-powered armored exoskeletons though, true believers. Director Jon Favreau thinks that the 2010 release date is a tad unrealistic, as neither he nor Downey Jr. have a definite contract for the film yet. It would also leave them with very little time to make the movie since they don't have a script yet, which could lead to a big letdown after how well-received the first movie was.

While you're waiting for more news on this to surface, break out your copy of Paranoid and start re-familiarizing yourself with those opening riffs to "Iron Man". Runnn-ning as fast as they can, Iron Man lives agaaaaaaaaaaa-in!

Related links:
IronManMovie.Marvel.com
The Onion A.V. Club: Robert Downey Jr. interview
News: In wake of Iron Man's millions, Marvel piles up future films

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