Christopher Nolan has already assembled a very impressive cast for his mysterious new movie, and reports indicate that he has one more main role to fill. Now, we're hearing that The Dark Knight trilogy director is keen to work with Robert Downey Jr. again following the actor's Academy Award-winning performance in Oppenheimer.
Unfortunately, Downey Jr.'s MCU commitments may prevent him from joining the production.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, Nolan might find it difficult to lock RDJ down because "he's very much the main character in Avengers: Doomsday like Thanos was in Infinity War."
This isn't the first time we've heard that Downey Jr.'s take on Doctor Doom will be a major player in the next Avengers movie, but it sounds like he really could end up being the main focus, as Richtman adds that he is expected to appear in "almost every scene."
Nolan's untitled movie stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o and Zendaya. The director also wrote the script, and the film has set a release date of July 17, 2026.
Though plot and character details remain under wraps, it's believed that Damon, Holland, Hathaway and Pattinson make up the core leads, with Theron, Nyong’o and Zendaya in supporting roles.
As for the premise, we have heard numerous rumors and theories, from a futuristic action thriller inspired by '80s helicopter flick Blue Thunder, to a period vampire thriller - though it's been reported that "insiders maintain that nothing has come close to nailing Nolan’s real idea."
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
Have another look at some photos Downey Jr. shared to Instagram after the big reveal below.