Will 'Iron Man 4' Continue Production Even Without Robert Downey Jr. On The Lead?

by Siegred Jade Lastimoso / Jan 29, 2016 10:10 AM EST

With Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as the roguish billionaire in "Captain America: Civil War" and the "Infinity Wars," will the actor stop playing support roles and reprise his role as Tony Stark for "Iron Man 4?"

Back in September 2014, the 50-year-old actor already shared the news about the lack of plans to do "Iron Man 4."

"There isn't one in the pipe," he said. "No, there's no plan for a fourth 'Iron Man.'"

Robert Downey Jr. is already the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. Consider, for example, the $80 million he was paid for "Avengers: Age of Ultron," or the $50 million for doing "Iron Man 3." For "Captain America: Civil War," he was paid around $40 million.

If he will reprise his role as Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. will command around $150 million for "Iron Man 4," according to the news reports.

When asked if he would "let" somebody else play Tony Stark, Downey laughed off the idea.

According to the news report, with Marvel's lineup already full, the latest that the "Iron Man 4" will go into production would be in 2020, and that means Robert Downey Jr. would have been 54 by then.

"Tony Stark's last adventure took place in 2013 with Iron Man 3 - which grossed over $1 billion for Marvel at the box office - and he has since gone on to play a more supporting role in the MCU," reported Cinema Blend. "Of course, this doesn't mean we won't be seeing Tony Stark until then. As most - if not all - of you already know, Stark will play a major part in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, as well as appear in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 & 2."

With the high salary he commands as well as Robert Downey Jr. getting high up in age, it would make sense for Marvel to just reboot the franchise for "Iron Man 4" and go for a younger actor.

In the news report, Robert Downey Jr. was asked if he's willing to give "Iron Man 4" to somebody younger, he responded, "I like that the idea is that it would be up to me, like I'm casting director for Marvel."