Throwback Thursday

Let’s go back to: Iron Man (2008).  It was the film that looked like it would never get made.  It went through numerous scripts, directors, and actors (including Nicholas Cage and Tom Cruise).  The film rights were bought by Universal Studios in 1990, were sold to 20th Century Fox in 1996, were later sold to New Line Cinema in 1999, and wound up back home at Marvel in 2005.  It was announced as the first film from Marvel Studios.  Little did they know the affect it would have on the pop culture landscape.

Directing duties were entrusted to Jon Favreau, who planned to cast a newcomer in the role of Tony Stark.  He instead ending up selecting Brat Packer Robert Downey Jr., who's tremendous acting ability and very public and conflicted past provided the dimension he wanted in the character.  Gwenyth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Terence Howard as Rhodey, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stone, and Paul Bettany as JARVIS rounded out the cast.  The minor role of Phil Coulson by Clark Gregg would end up having a far greater impact that anyone suspected.  And a brief surprise post-credits scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury told the audience this would be more than just another superhero movie.  The Marvel Cinematic Universe currently stands at 10 films (with 11 more scheduled between now and 2020), two television series (with five more coming to Netflix), and five short films.  Without this film being the success it was and capturing the international audience's imagination that it did, we would not have the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all.  

Why it means something to you or to our podcast: I'm sure by now you all know what a big Marvel fan I am.  The world premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron is this coming Monday.  And this Sunday Robert Downey Jr. will be receiving the MTV Generation Award.  2008 was a turning point for the critically acclaimed actor, who finally appeared in the blockbuster films that had been missing from his resume.  He has gone through immense highs and lows both professionally and personally.  But he has proven to be an inspiration in the way he has turned his life around to become the successful and caring man he is.  And let's be honest here.  He IS Tony Stark.

Where can you find it now?: Amazon, Comcast On Demand, DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes...basically anywhere you would purchase a movie.  But not streaming on Netflix.

-Christina