'Iron Man 4' release date, plot news: Numerous theories leave movie's status unsure
Robert Downey Jr. helped Marvel Studios kick off its entire cinematic universe back in 2008 when he starred as Tony Stark in "Iron Man." As of now, he's slated to return for "The Avengers: Infinity War" and he's also rumored to make an appearance in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
A lot of fans are questioning whether he would be returning for a fourth solo "Iron Man" film, and with all the different rumors online, the movie's status is still quite unclear.
One rumor suggests that the reason the movie hasn't been able to move forward is because of RDJ's hefty talent fee. From 2012 to 2015, Downey has become the highest paid actor in the Marvel franchise for three consecutive years. With the money that the Marvel movies bring in, the studio has a lot to consider when trying to cast one of the most recognizable faces in the Marvel Universe.
Marvel could also consider replacing Downey if the deal never pushes through. In the comics today, Tony Stark has already been replaced by a young woman named Riri Williams. Riri is a genius inventor herself who enrolled in MIT at a very young age. She created her own Iron Man suit in her dorm, which caught the attention of one Tony Stark. In the comics, she's known as "Ironheart."
Even Downey has acknowledged the existence of Riri Williams when he posted the cover of "Invincible Iron Man" with Riri on it. He captioned the Twitter post: "Get ready for a new generation of Marvel BAMF..."
In other news, some have guessed that production for a fourth "Iron Man" movie has been confirmed when RDJ tweeted a picture of himself having lunch with Marvel bigwigs Kevin Feige and the Russo brothers. The table also has "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau at the head with the new Spider-Man, Tom Holland, by his side.
The photo is even captioned "New project @Jon_Favreau and @RidingShotgunLA are working on!" Could this new project be another solo "Iron Man" film?
There is no official release date or announcement of "Iron Man 4."