It’s no secret that Robert Downey Jr.’s Hall of Fame comeback was with Iron Man. Prior to the Marvel movie, the actor’s questionable record with drugs and incarceration was cited as a risky casting option for movie producers. According to reports, director Jon Favreau persuaded the newly formed Marvel Studios that Downey Jr. would be the ideal choice for the part.
Although Kevin Feige is primarily known as the creator of superheroes, Variety reports on another former Marvel Studio executive who played a crucial role in casting Robert Downey Jr. in his well-known role. David Maisel, the former head of Marvel Studios is largely credited for the hiring of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark although the board had originally preferred Timothy Olyphant.
David Maisel reveals the board thought he was crazy for casting Robert Downey Jr.
In a recent discussion on the Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel,Kevin Feige and Director Jon Favreau stated that future Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. had tried out for the role of a general in Iron Man, and that Feige had previously spoken with Downey Jr. about playing Dr. Doom in the 2005 film Fantastic Four. However, after meeting with Downey for Iron Man, Favreau remembered thinking,
“Geez he just got it, he’s got that spark in him and his eye and he’s ready.”
Feige was the President of Production of Marvel Studios at the time and had been since Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” in 2002 when he first expressed his desire to create the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It turns out that David Maisel, the actual president of the firm during the Iron Man production, had a difficult time getting the go-ahead to use RDJ in the starring role since the board wanted Timothy Olyphant. As Maisel explained to The New Yorker:
“My board thought I was crazy to put the future of the company in the hands of an addict. I helped them understand how great he was for the role. We all had confidence that he was clean and would stay clean.”
Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark is unparalleled in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Downey Jr. basically played Tony Stark/Iron Man and would go on to define the character in the public imagination in a manner that few other superhero actors have.
Iron Man helped build MCU as we know it
Downey’s career seemed to be in ruins after receiving a 1993 Oscar nomination for his performance as Charlie Chaplin in the film Chaplin, in which he played the title role. But he started making a comeback after getting sober in the early 2000s, and Iron Man was the film that solidified his comeback as one of Hollywood’s biggest actors.
And given the unexpected popularity of that film, it’s odd to picture anyone other than RDJ in the title role. Because of his charisma and roguish charm, Iron Man not only helped the man’s career in a sense come back to life, but he also contributed to the development of the MCU as we know it today.
In contrast, Timothy Olyphant was well-known for playing the title character in HBO’s Deadwood, which contributed to the show’s reputation as one of the best-written TV dramas of all time. Olyphant, sadly, didn’t necessarily have the same charisma as RDJ, and Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige were well aware of this.
Source : Variety
