"Iron Man" fans, don't line up for a fourth film just yet. Star Robert Downey Jr. told Variety that there are currently no plans for a new installment in the superhero series.
“There isn’t one in the pipe,” Downey told Variety. “No, there’s no plan for a fourth ‘Iron Man.'”
But let's examine that statement. "There isn't one in the pipe" doesn't mean there won't eventually be another film in the blockbuster series. And just because there's "no plan" right now doesn't mean a new plan couldn't be drawn up tomorrow.
It won't be the end of the red-suited, wise-cracking hero. Downey has already committed to play Tony Stark and his alter ego in two more "Avengers" sequels, coming in 2015 and 2018.
Variety says the actor, who will be 53 when the 2018 "Avengers" sequel comes out, is "reluctant to commit" to more superhero films beyond that. But not all Hollywood observers are buying it. The franchise is a cash-cranking machine for Marvel Studios, and Downey's popularity doesn't seem to be fading with fans.
"Did Marvel just say, 'We’re good with $2.4 billion, shut ‘er down'?" questioned Zach Dionne of Grantland.com. "Dunno. That doesn’t really seem like a possible development in human history."
In any event, Downey Jr. isn't slacking off on a beach somewhere. He's currently promoting his next film, "The Judge," with co-star Robert Duvall, which opens Oct. 10. And as Grantland notes, his IMDB biography shows he has 11 projects in development.