Known as one of the best writers in the action genre (with past work including credits on the Lethal Weapon franchise, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and The Last Boy Scout) Shane Black may now be turning his attention to superhero pictures; with an eye to direct the next movie in Marvel Studios’ Iron Man franchise.
Whilst instrumental in bringing the classic superhero to the big screen; by both writing, directing, and being the real driving force behind both Iron Man, and Iron Man 2; Jon Favreau decided to step away from the franchise (likely due to Iron Man 3 having to be a sequel, or at least continuation, of the events depicted in Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers, and the fact that he has “no idea” about their world) in order to direct Disney’s Magic Kingdom, and left the door wide open for a new and aspiring director to step in.
As of yet Shane Black still hasn’t formally agreed to take up Favreau’s mantle; having only had a discussion with Marvel about the possibility of filling the director’s chair, and the direction in which he would attempt to take the next film, but not yet receiving a firm offer; however many fans would back Black’s hiring, as despite only having directed one movie (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) he’s more than proved his worth behind the camera, and has a clear relationship with Robert Downey Jr. (who will return as the titular Iron Man, and worked with Black on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang).
If Shane Black is hired it’s expected he will also be writing a draft of the film’s script, and penning the story which Marvel is very keen to keep under lock and key (but may include comic-book villain The Mandarin; if they follow what Favreau wanted to do), until much closer to the film’s May 3rd 2013 release date.
However there’s still plenty of time for change; as not only has Black not been hired yet, but there’s just over two years before the release date lands, and the small fact that Marvel Studios is currently rather busy producing the Avengers (the teaser trailer for which is available here); meaning there’s likely to be a whole host of director’s names rumoured to be linked to the project in the future.
