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From SCIFIPEDIA
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Iron Man is a 2008 action film based on the Marvel Comics character, Iron Man (Marvel Comics). Jon Favreau directs Marvel Studios first independent production. Robert Downey Jr. stars in the title role as inventor and billionaire industrialist, Tony Stark. Kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan (Vietnam in the comics) and ordered to build a missile, Stark instead builds a metal suit which he later refines enabling him to become a superhero. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Stark's personal assistant. Jeff Bridges plays Stark's mentor, Obadiah Stane and Terrence Howard takes on the role of James Rhodes, a friend and pilot who acts as a liaison between Stark's company and the military. Also appearing in the film are Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Shaun Taub as Yin Sin and Leslie Bibb as a reporter. Hillary Swank will also make a cameo along with Iron Man creator, Stan Lee.
Iron Man was first considered for the big screen in the early 90s. The rights were purchased by Universal Pictures and later sold to Twentieth Century Fox. The rights to the film were passed around studios several times and potential actors included Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise and possible scriptwriters included Joss Whedon and Tim McCanlies. The rights to the film were eventually returned to Marvel and Marvel Studios took on the film as their first independent feature.
Box Office
- Weekend of May 2, 2008 (opening) USA: 104m, ranked #1 (more than six times its nearest competitor)
- Weekend of May 9, 2008 USA: 50.5m, ranked #1 (cumulative USA 177m)
External Links
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
