Marvel Studios will be producing "Iron Man 4," to the delight of fans, but recent reports suggested that Robert Downey, Jr. will no longer be back to reprise the role of fan-favorite billionaire Tony Stark.
Downey's asking price might be too much for the studio to give so the company is thinking of replacing the actor with a younger star. If negotiations go sour, Marvel Studios might hire Ty Simpkins to play Iron Man instead, Australian Network News reported.
Simpkins played the role of the young boy, Harley Keener, who helped Tony Stark by tracking down the Mandarin in "Iron Man 3." The "Revolutionary Road" actor is only 14 years old but based on speculations that Marvel is gunning for a 2020 "Iron Man 4" release, the young star would be 17 when production starts in 2018.
If the "Jurassic World" child actor takes on the role, rumors say the plot could revolve around his character inheriting the suit from Tony Stark. Yet, this would make an unlikely storyline because it has never happened in superhero movies so far. The alleged plotline also might not be received well by fans since the "Iron Man" will always be attributed to Tony Stark.
The source of these rumors involves the reports that the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" star is asking for a bigger talent fee, which the production may not be able to provide. According to Crossmap, Downey might be asking for either $100M-120M price or a cut on the sales of the film. His contract expired after the third installment of "Iron Man" and so Marvel Studios is said to be currently negotiating with the "Sherlock Holmes" actor.
It is still very early in the game to count Downey out if "Iron Man 4" film's release is slated in 2020. Hence, there is no hurry for Marvel to resolve this pre-production issue at such a premature time.
