News > Waiting by the Phone: Jon Favreau

Tuesday morning, Jon Favreau, director of the mega-successful "Iron Man," told Howard Stern that he still has yet to be contacted to direct the sequel. You might think, "The film has only been out for two weeks. So what?" Yes, but they announced the release date for the sequel a week and a half ago. One might think that Marvel Studios would consult the director who helped make their film into one of the most highly-reviewed and most profitable films of the year.

Stern needled Favreau into giving up how much he made on the first film: A flat four million plus some points on the net profit that Favreau doesn't expect to get for some time, if at all. I didn't hear the interview myself but the tone that comes across, at least from Slashfilm's reporting, is that Favreau is a bit annoyed about the whole situation. He also had this to say about the cast, who have technically committed to three pictures in the "Iron Man" franchise:

They’re all signed for three but it doesn’t work that way. That all goes out the window when you make $100 million dollars. Because people want to have a good relationship with the people they are working with, and if they’re making that kind of money, it’s an understanding that they’re going to negotiate.

Hopefully nobody will get too greedy and everyone can come back as one big happy iron-clad family. Favreau also mentioned that should he be asked to return, he is very interested in pursuing the well-known "Demon in a Bottle" storyline, in which Tony Stark's alcoholism takes center stage. But don't worry, I'm sure there will still be rockets and flying and junk.

-David Morgan