Robert Downey Jr. has previous with Iron Man 3 director Shane Black, having worked with him to brilliant effect on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang , and the star has been waxing lyrical about the relationship he shares with the new man behind the camera.
“I adore him,” says Downey Jr. “I’ve been a fan of Shane Black since I saw Lethal Weapon . When we were doing the first Iron Man , Jon Favreau and I used to call up Shane Black. We had two lifeline calls; one was to J.J. Abrams, which was about the third act. And for the other call, we went to Shane’s house.
“For instance, in the Iron Man scene where Tony Stark comes back from captivity and calls a press conference, and then asked everybody to sit down, the speech Stark gives all came from Shane Black. So to get him to do Iron Man 3 , it has just been this awesome experience and one of my favourite working experiences. Iron Man 3 is going to be a very, very bold genre film, from the storytelling.”
However, Downey Jr. also has some kind words for Favreau, who will be returning on-screen as Tony Stark’s minder, Happy Hogan.
“Happy has an amazing arc in this movie,” he enthuses. “In fact, probably the best two bits of acting in the movie, so far from what I can tell - which sucks because I’m in every frame - are Favreau as Happy Hogan… I can’t give away much, but it’s ridiculous!”
Co-starring Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow and Guy Pearce, Iron Man 3 will open in the UK on 26 April 2013.
