Christopher Nolan says Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is one of the most important casting decisions "in the history of the movie business"
Feb. 9, 2024Downey Jr. is up for an Oscar for his role in Oppenheimer
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It’s no secret that the MCU has been a cultural juggernaut since its inception in 2008 (even if its influence seems to be on the wane amid a touch of superhero fatigue), and the de facto face of the cinematic universe has always been Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man.
It shouldn’t come as a huge shock, then, that Christopher Nolan – who himself made some genre defining superhero flicks with theDark Knighttrilogy – thinks Downey Jr.’s Iron Man is one of cinema’s key casting decisions.
“He has such charisma as Tony Stark,” Nolan toldStephen Colbert. “I think him playing Iron Man is one of the most consequential casting decisions that’s ever been made in the history of the movie business. And I wanted to give him the opportunity to lose himself in a part, lose himself in another human being the way that great actors love to.”
Nolan recently teamed with the actor forOppenheimer, with Downey Jr. portraying Lewis Strauss.
Next up for the MCU is Deadpool 3, which hits theaters this July 26. It’sthe only MCU movie coming this yearafter a slew of delays.
You can keep up to date with everything the MCU has in store with our guide to all theupcoming Marvel movies and TV shows.
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I’m a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site’s Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.
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