'Iron man 4' is a planned superhero film based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name. It may not feature mainstay Robert Downey Jr. after the actor's contract with the studio ended. Ty Simpkins' Harley Keener may replace Downey Jr. as the film's new protagonist.
According to Morning News USA, Simpkins' Harley Keener may replace Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark as the newest protagonist in the fourth installment of the Iron Man series. The young character first appeared on 'Iron Man 3', where he formed an alliance with Iron Man. He carries a weapon called the potato gun MK II.
Simpkins is best known for his roles in several feature films including 'Insidious', 'Revolutionary Road' and 'Jurassic World'. He broke into the Hollywood scene with his work on Steven Spielberg's 'War of the Worlds' and went on to appear in critically acclaimed films such as 'All the King's Men' and 'Little Children'.
According to Master Herald, it was speculated that Marvel has been putting off the fourth film in the Iron Man series due to Downey Jr.'s exit from the franchise. It was reported that the 50-year old actor would not be renewing his contract with Marvel due to several factors such as salary, increasing age and the actor looking to other career options.
During an interview with Variety in 2014, Downey Jr. said that there will be no fourth film in the series. According to Movie News Guide, it is possible that Marvel would be pushing through with another addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The studio scheduled release dates for three unnamed films for 2020. It was speculated that 'Iron Man 4' could be one of these.
'Iron Man 4' is a planned sequel to Shane Black's 'Iron Man 3' released in 2013. Its predecessor received generally positive reviews and was commercially successful, earning $1.2 billion in the box office. It featured Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark a.ka. Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as Iron Patriot and Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian.
