The actor-director has always projected a subversive attitude toward his work. With Jon Favreau’s films (like ELF), you need to look twice to see what the wily filmmaker might be sneaking past you. And in creating this movie version of one of Marvel’s darker comics characters, he is taking a decidedly PG-13 line when it comes to what will make it to the screen in IRON MAN (which premieres May 2nd).

“With these kinds of movies, you want to be appropriate for the whole audience. If you skew too young, you disappoint adults, but if you make it too dark, then the kids can’t see it. I don’t want anything in this movie that, as a responsible adult, is going to make me uncomfortable.”

A longtime comic book devotee, Favreau has also become a student of how Marvel has made the leap from the paneled page to the silver screen. And when it comes to IRON MAN, the director is sticking largely to the formula that has made SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN and FANTASTIC FOUR successful transitions.

“With IRON MAN, we’re starting off with the premise that something is out of balance in the world,” Favreau explains. “In all the Marvel movies, you start by looking at the character’s personal life, and then you look at the world around him. There’s always this supervillain or a problem that must be fixed or life as we know it will cease to exist."

“And with Tony Stark, we have all the flash and glamour of a billionaire, genius inventor and playboy,” he continues. “Then we get into the movie, and we explore how Tony is flawed, how he grows and how he becomes Iron Man. We have to lay enough down in the story, so that as it unfolds and we delve into the rogues’ gallery, [the audience understands] our depiction of the universe and the reality that we’re dealing with—where there aren’t any other superheroes with powers in this world.”

Favreau “has spent a lot of time thinking about Tony Stark. From the moment of his very inception, he has been a conflicted guy, all the way back to his origin. Iron Man’s flawed nature is a key part of the Marvel tradition.”

As hardcore readers know, Stark’s eyes are blue. They won’t be in the movie. “Because Robert’s eyes are brown,” Favreau jokes. “Robert (Downey Jr.) is perfect as Tony Stark; he’s a great choice because he’s not what people expect. He has charm and personality that make Stark likable.”

Every superhero requires a supervillain. In the film, Jeff Bridges essays the ruthless Obadiah Stane, a.k.a. Iron Monger.

“It was hard to choose a villain,” Favreau admits. “Iron Man’s big villain is the Mandarin, but he isn’t the type of bad guy where, right off the bat, you want them to square off. [The way that the Mandarin] is depicted in the comics, you can’t stay true to him without putting off mainstream audiences. I don’t know if that character would work nowadays. Magical rings shooting rays? I don’t think that’s what people are expecting."

“I look at the Mandarin more like how, in STAR WARS, you had the Emperor, but Darth Vader is the guy you want to see Luke Skywalker fight. Then you work your way to the time when lightning bolts shoot out of the Emperor’s fingers and all that stuff can happen. But you can’t have that take place in A New Hope. You just can’t do it.
We couldn’t have Iron Man flying around fighting Fin Fang Foom [the talking giant dragon] the first time out, just like you couldn’t have Sauron be the first person whom Frodo meets up with [in THE LORD OF THE RINGS].

The movie’s cast includes Terrence Howard as Stark’s pilot pal James Rhodes and Gwyneth Paltrow as the billionaire’s longtime assistant Virginia “Pepper” Potts.
“Jarvis the butler is in it,” Favreau confides, “but I don’t want to spoil anything.”

Attention to the details is crucial—especially regarding aspects like the Iron Man suit, courtesy of a cooperative effort between Stan Winston Studio and Industrial Light & Magic.

“The important thing about the suit is that artists designed it,” says Favreau. “When you have practical things, it tends to make the computer-generated effects more honest. We weren’t trying to reinvent the suit. We wanted it to be as close to the comic book as possible. We’ve embraced what the suit is and kept its personality.”

Jon Favreau is called back to the set but, as a parting shot, he assesses his work on IRON MAN.
“For me, this has been a great opportunity and challenge. This has been one big dice roll from the word ‘go.’ It’s a huge deal, and I would love to do another one.
Although I have to tell you, man... I love doing this stuff. But this stuff is hard!”

Read Jon Favreau’s complete interview,which includes many additional details about IRON MAN, his work on JOHN CARTER OF MARS and more in STARLOG #365 STILL ON SALE at newsstands and bookstores near you.

DON'T MISS AN ISSUE; YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE HERE