10 Promising Films Ruined By Changing The Director
6. Iron Man 3
If not for Jon Favreau, we wouldnt have the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr.s performance, and Favreaus near-flawless direction that elevated the Armored Avenger from simply a comics stalwart into a massive superhero franchise on par with Batman and Spider-Man. And though Iron Man 2 has its problems (and no shortage of detractors), there was still the sense throughout the whole movie that Favreau really cared about the characters and the source material. Favreau bowed out of the third movie, however (at least as director, he still appeared playing Tonys bodyguard, Happy Hogan). Coming in to replace Favreau was Shane Black. Now Black is a Hollywood legend, at one time being the highest-paid screenwriter in the business. And with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, he proved his director chops. So Iron Man 3 was highly anticipated. That made it all the more disappointing when we finally saw Blacks take on ol Shellhead. The trailers indicated that we might get a bit of a darker Iron Man film and see Tony Stark thrown against the ropes. But what we got instead was a lot of forced comedy, with Tonys state-of-the-art suit of armor constantly falling apart. It was like a parody of a superhero movie, culminating in the reveal that the Mandarin was nothing more than a drug-addled actor, a concept that was played for laughs. With Favreau, you got the sense that he loved these characters and their world. But with Black, it felt like he actively loathed them and found them ridiculous.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
