Jon Favreau Leaves Iron Man 3

As you may have heard yesterday, A-list director Jon Favreau is leaving Iron Man for the Magic Kingdom.

There were many rumors floating around yesterday as to why the director might leave. One site reported that Marvel was looking to replace Favreau, another claimed that he didn't want his film to be an Avengers sequel, and yet another thought that he was unhappy that there was a release date but no script yet.

But Mr. Favreau, in an interview with Hero Complex, explains his decision and his thoughts on Marvel and the Iron Man franchise;

“Marvel and I both came of age together,” Favreau said. “The years that we shared were a pivotal experience. Kevin has a firm grasp on the many franchises and how they all interweave and I am happy that I had the opportunity to establish the world that these characters can now play in…. ‘Iron Man’ has given me tremendous opportunities and Kevin and I are enjoying a lot of momentum in our careers thanks to the ‘Iron Man’ films. I look forward to seeing what others can do playing in the same world.”

As for his next project, Favreau is finishing up on post production for "Cowboys and Aliens" and is attached to direct a "Magic Kingdom" movie based on the Disney theme park. On this he also had a few things to say:

“Between the theme parks and the movies, the Disney iconography was probably the first set of archetypes that I was exposed to,” Favreau said of his youth in Flushing, N.Y.  “Walt was able to expose me as a child to the full array of emotions, including fear and sorrow. Those movies and attractions haunted my dreams  and made a deep impression on me as a child. When I first heard about the ['Magic Kingdom' film] project, I was on my way to visit Disneyland with my family. I took notes and had no problem filling a book with all the ideas that this concept offered, even on first blush. Since then, I was lucky enough to be given a tour of Imagineering by Tony Baxter, who knows just about everything there is to know about Disneyland. He pulled original concept art from the archives for me and exposed me to Walt’s original vision.”

Well, he definitely sounds excited about this new project, but we will sorely miss his take on Tony Stark. His tone and direction really brought the character to life and is, in no small part, responsible for the success that Marvel Studios.

But now the big question remains, who will handle the reins for future Iron Man tales? Will they be able to live up to the last two films? What do you think? Sound off in the comments section below.

Author: Daniel S. (Dankyn)