Considering just how expansive the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, it’s sometimes easy to forget the humble beginnings. The MCU was first launched with 2008’s Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau. If you ignore 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, which most people do, then Iron Man 2 could also be considered the second successful film in the Universe. Considering that the first two Iron Man films were both directed by Jon Favreau, and he was essentially the first director to lead the MCU, you’d think he would have returned for more directing projects as the Marvel world got bigger.
IGN recently asked Jon Favreau what it would take to bring director/actor/producer back to the director’s seat in a future MCU film.
A great story. I know the people over there. I like them. I still executive produce the Avengers series and I like what they’re doing a lot now, I do. By the same token I feel like I’ve made my mark; whatever we did in those early days has continued and is in good hands with new filmmakers with fresh voices.
There we go, people. It’s going to take a dynamite story in order to successfully get Jon Favreau directing another Marvel movie. Considering how successful and exciting the stories have been in the past few films in the MCU, it seems like Favreau has had plenty of options for a new directing project. If he actually wanted it.
While Jon Favreau seems to be uninterested in directing another chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this doesn’t mean he is totally uninvolved in the superhero legacy. In fact, he has been working as a producer since Iron Man, with his credits including every Avengers movie, as well the trilogy of Iron Man movies.
Additionally, Jon Favreau also has his own acting role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He played Happy Hogan for all three Iron Man movies. Happy is one of Tony Stark’s closest friends, as well as the head of security for Stark Industries. If Marvel ever decides to produce Iron Man 4, we’d surely see Favreau once again reprise the role of Happy.
While we won’t be seeing a Jon Favreau directed film in the near future, we’ll still be able to see his influence on the MCU. The next opportunity for this will be Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 on May 4th, 2018.
