Jon Favreau Not Directing 'Iron Man 3'

It's a sad day in the world of Iron Man, as Jon Favreau has walked from the project. Read on for the full details...

So the usually reliable (despite what Nikki Fenke says!) Vulture shocked the comic book movie community this morning with word that Jon Favreau had exited the “Iron Man” franchise, leaving “Iron Man 3” in someone else’s hands.

Favreau himself confirmed the news via a Tweet, saying “It’s true, I’m directing Magic Kingdom, not Iron Man 3. I’ve had a great run with Marvel and wish them the best.”

An insider tells Comic Book Movie that Favreau departed ways with Marvel because the filmmaker and star Robert Downey Jr had a rift over the poorly received “Iron Man 2”.

“What happened is that on the first one they sort threw the script out and kind of improvised the whole thing and they stuck a landing,” says the source, described as “a prolific member of the Hollywood community whose identity can’t be revealed, but who’s about as credible as they come’’. “They stuck the landing and it turned out to be a good movie. Then the attitude was, ‘Let’s do it again.’ The problem is that if you do it once, you’re lucky. Trying to do it twice, your odds of success aren’t that great. Robert Downey Jr. and the director, Jon Favreau, their friendship broke up over that whole mess of the second movie. Did you notice they didn’t do press together?”

“Because [Iron Man 2] sucked….Robert Downey, Jr. blamed Jon Favreau. That’s why Downey dropped out of Cowboys and Aliens, because he didn’t want to work with Jon Favreau again. Also, by the way, it’s why Jon Favreau dropped out of The Avengers. I thought the odds of him directing Iron Man 3 were slim, and that proved right.“

Favreau didn’t go into that with The LA Times – not surprisingly – but he does suggest that he’d lost the passion for the “Iron Man” franchise.

Favreau says he’s excited to be working with Disney on a feature film version of “Magical Kingdom”.

A film like that can “blow people away, which is easier to do with a project that isn’t loaded with built-in expectations.”

A diplomatic Favreau, whose next film “Cowboys & Aliens” is out next Summer, said he’s thankful for the opportunity to bring Iron Man to life.

“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.”

I don’t know what to think of Marvel right about now… I mean, they screwed over Terrence Howard, they nearly screwed over Samuel L.Jackson, they went against the fans and decided not to pay Edward Norton what he was worth to come back and reprise the role of Bruce Banner for The Avengers, and now, they’ve seemingly done wrong by Favreau.

Wonder if Marvel will go back to Nick Cassavetes, who was originally attached to direct “Iron Man” a couple of years before Favreau came on the scene?

Thanks to Moviehole.