In another high profile case of Marvel cross-fertilization, Robert Downey Jr. is being courted to appear in CAPTAIN AMERICA 3. But he won’t appear as an ally. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are to bring Mark Millar’s notorious Civil War comics storyline into the Cinematic Universe – that saw Steve Rogers butt heads with Tony Stark over a new Superhero Registration Act, creating a civil liberties-based schism that pitted hero against hero. The studio are looking at this seismic clash to lay the groundwork for nearly a decade’s worth of future films.
A paycheque-shaped stumbling block occurred when Downey Jr. reportedly rejected the original offer of a small role in Cap’s third big screen outing. Furious Marvel Chief Executive Ike Perlmutter then attempted to have the star airbrushed out of the instalment, before Studio President Kevin Feige brought everyone back to the table. With the prospect of Spider Man being involved in the story arc, yanking him out of Sony’s franchise and potentially throwing him into the mix with the likes of Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, this antagonism between friends should yield epic returns for the Marvel brand.
Downey Jr. is reprising Iron Man in the second and third AVENGERS movies, beginning with AGE OF ULTRON. The Russos are developing the script for CAPTAIN AMERICA 3 with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The Chris Evans starrer is set to be released May 2016.
Sources: BleedingCool, Variety
