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By The Editor
May 1, 2008 - 17:06
Actor, Director Jon Favreau Shares How He Managed To Get “IRON MAN” From Comic Book To Big Screen & Reveals Plans For A Sequal
Quotables From Nationally Syndicated Movie Review Series “Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk” Weekend of May 3-4 2008
NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution's nationally syndicated movie review series “Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk,” co-hosted by Jeffrey Lyons, talks to director Jon Favreau (“Elf”/“Zathura”/“Made”) this weekend about the first anticipated summer blockbuster movie of the season, “Iron Man.”
Favreau talks to Lyons about directing himself in a cameo appearance as Happy Hogan, his grass roots efforts in trying to start a buzz for the film, and his aspirations to make a sequel. This weekend’s show will also turn the “Spotlight On…” the mastermind behind Iron Man and countless other comic heroes, Stan Lee.
“Iron Man,” directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, is based on the classic Marvel Comics superhero and is an action-packed, special-effects laden extravaganza that tells the story of billionaire weapons manufacturer/playboy Tony Stark and the incredible suit of armor he develops.
Interview clips of Favreau, movie trailers and more information can be found at: http://www.reeltalktv.com/
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Jeffrey Lyons: I have inklings of a sequel here because of some of the things (Terrence Howard) says. I mean it’s going to do very well, are you going to be back for the sequel or is it too soon to decide?
Jon Favreau: Oh I would. I've decided I'll do it, the thing is its gotta do business first, because these movies are expensive and I was in “Daredevil” and that thing made over 100 million dollars and was considered not successful enough for a sequel. You know I don't know what the measuring stick is for these films.
Lyons: I'm the one who cheered when your cameo appeared and said, “The body guard came out!” and the whole theater picked it up. How good are you at directing yourself?
Favreau: I have to be honest; I got the part by sleeping with the director.
Lyons: Yeah you'll be here all week
Favreau: Thank you sir. I do a lot better in other people's movies. I'm not very good at directing myself. I am too preoccupied. I prefer working in movies like “The Breakup” with Vince or I just did “Four Christmas'” with him. But, when I'm the director, I just sort of stuck myself in there to be part of the fun.
Lyons: Is that why you kept it to a minimum, just as a cameo?
Favreau: Yeah, I trimmed it down too a lot. There's a character in the comic book called Happy Hogan, so for the fans, I wanted them to know that I took the character seriously and there'd be more of him.
Lyons: Speaking of characters, you know that all comic book people are not all geeks, all of them are really looking forward to this. You were aware that you had to please them too and be true to the character?
Favreau: When they first announced that “Iron Man” was being made by Marvel with their new studio, the headlines were, “Why are they doing these b-level superheroes?” But, to the comic book fans, this guy was an A-lister from the very beginning. He was part of the original pantheon and I knew that in satisfying them, they would spread the word, because now, with internet and grass roots support, between that and comic con, where I talked to your son two years ago last year, that’s where I would show footage, that’s where I would make announcements and slowly but surely it built up, to now, people are excited about the film in the mainstream.
Lyons: Now, when you say B-list superheroes, when I was a kid, you buy a comic for the characters on the cover and then in the middle, there was another character, is that the kind of character you define as the B-list character?
Favreau: Well B-list because most people haven't heard of him. He would split originally, he would split issues with Captain America, they would do that, but I think B-listers more because when you think of Iron Man, you don't think of it like you think of Spiderman or Batman or Superman.
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About Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk
“Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk,” a weekly half-hour movie review series, debuted in national syndication the weekend of September 29-30, 2007. Michael Avila is the Producer and Susan McNeeley is the Director of “Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk.” The show originates and is produced by NBC 4 New York and is distributed in national syndication by NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.
