Learning today that the original director, who also helped to place Marvel Studios on the map, Jon Favreau will not return for Iron Man 3, many are puzzled as to why. Now speaking with the LA Times' Hero Complex, Favreau explains in-depth why he's more interested in committing to Disney's Magic Kingdom adaption, rather than completing the Iron Man trilogy.
Making it clear that his departure from Marvel is no result of fractured relations, his main goal was to “find something that lights a fire” inside of him as a filmmaker and gives him a chance to “blow people away, which is easier to do with a project that isn’t loaded with built-in expectations.” He also said he has been researching the film for many weeks.
“Between the theme parks and the movies, the Disney iconography was probably the first set of archetypes that I was exposed to,” Favreau said of his youth in Flushing, N.Y. “Walt was able to expose me as a child to the full array of emotions, including fear and sorrow. Those movies and attractions haunted my dreams and made a deep impression on me as a child. When I first heard about the ['Magic Kingdom' film] project, I was on my way to visit Disneyland with my family. I took notes and had no problem filling a book with all the ideas that this concept offered, even on first blush. Since then, I was lucky enough to be given a tour of Imagineering by Tony Baxter, who knows just about everything there is to know about Disneyland. He pulled original concept art from the archives for me and exposed me to Walt’s original vision.”
“Marvel and I both came of age together. 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.”
To find out more on why Jon Favreau is eager for the challenge of
Magic Kingdom, head over
Hero Complex. And moving on Favreau-less, Marvel Studios is
quietly, quickly searching for a replacement. Who do you think has what it takes for the armored avenger's return? And anyhow,
Iron Man 3 is currently scheduled for theaters May 3, 2013.