Although trade pub Variety says movie rights to Iron Man are likely to revert back to Marvel after going nowhere with New Line for two years, other sources say that may not be true.
Apparently Marvel has been waiting out New Line's option for the material in hopes of getting a better deal from the studio. If that doesn't happen Marvel could shop the idea around to someone else, according to IGN Filmforce sources.
Also, it's not clear if writer David Hayter, director Nick Cassavetes and production company Angry Films would remain attached to the film. Nor is it clear that New Line will let the property go and it's not too late to do something with the option, the fan site points out.
However, if New Line passes, Iron Man could become part of the new Marvel/Paramount co-venture and at this year's Comic-Con Marvel Studios exec listed Iron Man as part of that deal. That may have been a slip of the tongue or not, IGN Filmforce says. Tom Cruise, who has long been interested in playing Tony Stark/Iron Man, is in Paramount’s camp with his Mission: Impossible series and Top Gun.