Robert Downey Jr. Officially Signs On as “Iron Man” in “Avengers” Sequels
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Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Iron Man fans can wonder no more as Marvel announced Thursday that Robert Downey Jr. is set to return as Tony Stark in upcoming installments of The Avengers series.
Downey will reprise his role in Marvel’s The Avengers 2, hitting theaters May 1, 2015, and Marvel’s The Avengers 3, which doesn’t have a release date yet.
Avengers director Joss Whedon tried to appease fans’ worries last week, telling the Daily Beast, Downey “is Iron Man the way that Sean Connery was James Bond. I have no intention of making Avengers 2 without him, nor do I think I’ll be called upon to do that. I don’t think it’s in my interest, Marvel’s interest, or his interest, and I think everything will be fine.”
Downey raked in more than $50 million for reprising his Iron Man role in Marvel’s The Avengers, but it was apparently money well spent. The Avengers has grossed $1.5 billion worldwide, including more than $623 million in the U.S. The film took in more than $207 million in its U.S. debut last year.
Iron Man 3 holds the record for the second-biggest domestic debut of all time in box office history. The Marvel sequel earned an estimated $175.3 million in its debut last month.
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