Why must everything Jon Favreau says about making IRON MAN 2 be so entirely spot-on? Last week, he said that fitting multiple villains into a superhero sequel really isn’t a problem as long as you give each one specific plot functions that don’t overlap. Now, he’s telling the LA Times that, even though IRON MAN 2 is an installment in an entire series, he’s doing his best to keep it self-contained.
So intones Mr. Favreau...
"I want it to be completely self-contained because a lot is going to happen between now and the next chapter. You've got 'Thor,' you've got 'Captain America ' and you've got ' Avengers.' I don't know how all of that is going to impact this little handmade story of ours that we've been doing over the last two films… You want to leave some things open, you know, to be like a food cache for them to set things up that can be paid off later and lean toward where we think things are going… But we can't leave it like 'Empire' where you're waiting to see it resolved. It's not a cliffhanger. We had to tuck this whole story in. And that be said, we had like eight different storylines going and opened up the door, especially with both the good guys and the bad guys, for a larger story to be told. That's just responsible filmmaking. But if you just watch this movie, it's self-contained. It's not like 'Two Towers.' "
Thank you, Jon. Thank you. One of things that really irked me about a lot of recent mega-blockbusters that are part of mega-series is the lack of closure. Yes, you can touch upon some ideas or characters that you’ll see more of in further installment, but it’s really irritating when the characters practically look at the camera and say, “Don’t worry. We’ll deal with this in the next movie.” It’s even more irritating when a movie ends without resolving its own conflicts. Like he said, it requires discipline to make a modular movie… that is, one that can easily connect to more movies, but still be self-contained.
And according to this rumor from Cinemablend, he’s playing his cards smartly in regards to teasing about Thor and Captain America. Rather than introducing them in the movie itself, he’s apparently saving them for a scene after the credits, the same way he handled Nick Fury’s appearance. Still just a rumor, but if it’s true, it’s another example of the guy’s levelheadedness about all of this.
And for something completely different, here’s one of the international trailers for IRON MAN 2. I WANT to say the narrator is speaking in Mandarin, but it could be Cantonese. Can any of the international maniacs in the Comic Vine community sort it out for me?
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Pre-order the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover now on Amazon.com.
