Rumor: 'Iron Man 4' in 2019 starring Ty Simpkins

There are rumors to be considered seriously, and then there are Moviepilot rumors which are to be shunned and generally mocked. The site has quite a whopper out there right now that is causing a stir throughout the Internet, and it's that an actor has been found to take over for Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 4. What's more, he's someone we've already seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The source tells Moviepilot that Ty Simpkins, who played young Harley Keener in Iron Man 3, would don the armor in Iron Man 4 in 2019. You may recall Keener was the little boy who helped out Tony Stark while he was stranded in Tennessee with a malfunctioning suit. Simpkins is one of today's brightest young actors with roles in Insidious, Jurassic World, and he's currently filming The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. So if this were true he'd be about 17 years old when filming would begin, and we've seen a teenaged Tony Stark as Iron Man in the comics before.

For numerous reasons this whole thing seems highly unlikely to be true. Simpkins is a very good young actor, but hardly capable of filling Downey's shoes. We don't even know if there will be an Iron Man 4 at this point, or what Marvel's long-term plan for the character is. Kevin Feige has said in the past he thinks the character can proceed in James Bond-style with different actors in the role, but this goes beyond that idea. This removes Tony Stark, an integral piece of the Marvel puzzle, out of the equation. But it all goes back to the fact that Iron Man 4 is not a film that is on the Marvel radar as far as we can tell. Anything can happen once the two-part Avengers: Infinity War wraps up, though.

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Robert Downey Jr. Flip-Flops, Now says there are No 'Iron Man 4' Plans

Robert Downey Jr. continues to confound his fans over Iron Man 4, and yesterday he messed with their emotions in impressive fashion. Mere hours after appearing on Ellen and seeming to confirm Marvel's plans for a fourth Iron Man film, he appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and contradicted himself.

RDJ: "There's no plans for an Iron Man 4. There's no script for Iron Man 4, but they do have a plan and I think they're gonna announce it. You know, [Marvel's] very secretive about it."

After yesterday's story I noted how Downey never specifically said anything about playing Iron Man, just that Marvel has plans for a movie. Later on in the broadcast with Letterman, Downey seems to hint further that Iron Man 4 could happen with another character in the suit while Tony Stark goes off and does other things.When the subject came up again he responded with this....

RDJ: ..."just between us, no, but I'm gonna do other stuff with Marvel. I'm still going to be involved with Marvel and there's gonna be plenty of fun stuff to happen."

As it stands right now we're going to see him return as Tony Stark for next year's Avengers: Age of Ultron, followed by Avengers 3 which may or may not be split into two movies. After that it's all up in the air but it sounds like Downey will be sticking with Marvel for awhile, just in a different kind of way. Perhaps he'll join the Guardians of the Galaxy like Stark did in the comics?

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Robert Downey Jr. Confirms 'Iron Man 4' in the Works

So what changed between last week and today? Robert Downey Jr. has been incredibly flaky about a possible fourth Iron Man film, sometimes seeming interested and other times not so much. There's a good chance it was all part of his negotiating ploy, something he's gotten quite good at, because today during his appearance on Ellen he answered a question about Iron Man 4 by confirming it was happening. Check out the video yourself...



Uh, and no, it won't be directed by Mel Gibson like Downey said a couple of days ago. As expected, he was just giving an off-hand remark that he didn't expect to be taken so seriously. Or at least that's what he said during a recent Reddit AMA when asked about it.

RDJ: "It was an offhanded remark to a journalist and friend. I have other projects in mind for Mel and I – sooner than later the Marvel Roster will be made public and all questions will be answered."

It's that last part that's especially interesting. A fourth Iron Man film throws a monkeywrench into what a lot of people were expecting from Marvel's next phase. With rumors of Avengers 3 being split into two movies or springboarding into something new and different, this is a new wrinkle to consider. Of course, it all boils down to the contract talks, and it's worth noting that he didn't say it would be him starring as Iron Man. Marvel could, and has previously suggested, that the franchise could go on with someone else in the suit.

You'll want to check out the AMA for more of Downey's thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Sherlock Holmes 3, and a potential Perry Mason project. 

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Robert Downey Jr. will do 'Iron Man 4', but Only if Mel Gibson Directs

There's a pretty good chance we won't see any more Iron Man movies. The Marvel plan seems to be fashioning trilogies then moving on to something new, and besides, Robert Downey Jr. has been a little flaky about his desire to do another one. More often than not he's been disinterested, but occasionally he's open to the idea. But if Marvel really wants to lock Downey in for Iron Man 4, all they need to do is make sure Mel Gibson directs it.

In a fascinating extensive interview with Deadline, Downey spoke about his friendship with Gibson. There was a time when Hollywood wasn't all that keen on hiring Downey due to his personal demons, and Gibson was one of the few who gave him a shot in The Singing Detective. And now as Gibson is something of a pariah nowadays, Downey wants to return the favor.

DEADLINE: Marvel badly wants Iron Man 4 and you’ve said you aren’t doing it. How about the idea you’ll do that movie if Mel directs it? 
DOWNEY: Correct. 
DEADLINE: Is that our headline? 
 DOWNEY: Why not? That movie would be bananas.

Leaving aside whatever issues Gibson had (Downey insists Gibson has changed, and I believe him), he has quite a bit of experience directing large-scale movies. Braveheart and Apocalypto spring to mind immediately, but also The Passion of the Christ was a major production, so it's not as if Gibson would be out of his depth. And let's be honest that it would be a much easier way to regain fan favor than playing villains in Machete and Expendables movies.

It's unlikely Marvel would go this route, anyway, and Downey has other reasons for being hesitant.

DOWNEY: To me, it comes down to what’s the half-life of people enjoying a character? It’s different on TV, where you expect the longevity over seasons while movies get a two or three year break. Marvel keeps stepping up its game, and I appreciate the way Kevin Feige and all the creatives there think. They are as in the creative wheelhouse as any great studio has been at any point. So it becomes a matter of, at what point do I cease to be an asset to what they’re doing, and at what point do I feel I am spending so much time either shooting or promoting these films that I’m not actually able to get off the beachhead and do the kind of other stuff that is good for all of us. Each one of those movies is spread over two years and some people fit other things in. But I’m not 42, I’m turning 50 and now I’ll have two small kids instead of one grown one, and eight Team Downey projects with people who are imagining I’m not just spending Warner Bros’ money out of vanity, but that I’m taking it seriously. It all has become this thing that has to be figured out. It has come to a head, right now, where the points of departure will be.

For now, Downey appears to be content showing up for Avengers: Age of Ultron and starring in smaller films like The Judge, which opens Oct. 10th.

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Robert Downey Jr. Says Marvel Isn't Planning 'Iron Man 4'

With Marvel riding high with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy as 2014's top two films, there has been less talk of a sequel to Iron Man 3. It's seemed that the plan is to build individual arcs for each character told as a trilogy, then spinning them into The Avengers while new solo movies emerge. With Doctor Strange and Ant-Man entering the cinematic universe in the next couple of years, there's little need for Robert Downey Jr. to suit up for anything outside of the Avengers ensemble, and now it seems even less likely that will happen.

In an interview with Variety while in Toronto promoting his film, The Judge, Downey Jr. basically said Iron Man 4 isn't happening....

RDJ: "There isn’t one in the pipe. No, there’s no plan for a fourth ‘Iron Man.'”

Downey may be Marvel's most popular star but he also knows his power only extends so far. When asked if he would let someone else play Iron Man, he said...

RDJ: "I like that the idea is that it would be up to me, like I’m casting director for Marvel."

Kevin Feige has said in the past he perceives Iron Man to be interchangeable like James Bond, so there's always that chance a move is made at some point. But the bigger point may be that Marvel could set this up without Downey's input or knowledge.

Iron Man will be seen next in Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1st 2015.

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