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If anyone needs to fix or begin their new cinematic franchise, Jon Favreau is the man to go to. TheJungle Bookdirector was the one who laid the foundations for the MCU that fans love today with the Robert Downey Jr. starrerIron Man. He also spearheadedStar Wars’ Disney+ seriesThe Mandalorian.
However, the director is known for improvising on set and needed some fixing himself while figuring out the climax ofIron Man 2. Hence, he approached animation wiz and the creator ofPrimalGenndy Tartakovsky to help him streamline the messy climax for the sequel. Tartakovsky was reportedly responsible for the action-packed climax at the Japanese tea garden.
Also read:“I wasn’t really welcomed”: Elton John Despised Iron Man Director Jon Favreau’s Classic Disney Remake For Killing The Original Magic
Jon Favreau Had A Tough Time Working OnIron Man 2
Jon Favreauand Robert Downey Jr. laid the foundations of the MCU perfectly with the insanely successfulIron Man. It was the first independently produced film by Marvel Studios and the survival of the company and the MCU heavily depended on that first film working well at the box office. Favreau’s improvisational process ultimately led to a $585 million gross.
According to the bookMCU: Reign of Marvel Studiosby Joanna Robinson, the studio heads Kevin Feige and David Maisel immediately greenlit the sequel and announced a release window of April 2010 even before striking a deal with Jon Favreau andRobert Downey Jr.Favreau mentioned that he was apprehensive about the sequel as he had experience making popular films that fizzled out. He said,
“Fortunately, I’d had the experience of things connecting with audiences before, and I know how wonderful, but also disorienting. Everything changes a bit. It’s like the band that puts out a hit single: you go from playing in a garage to figuring out how you follow it up.”
Also read:“Let’s do Die Hard”: Marvel Turned Jon Favreau’s Mock Request True for What If… Season 2
However, the director came on board and collaborated with writer and actor Justin Theroux to work on the screenplay forIron Man 2. The script was reportedly not finished when the team went for shooting and Theroux had to work on the plot with such immense pressure that he was hospitalized for a while after his back gave out.
Favreau was reportedly exhausted during the process of the film due to the tight deadline Marvel had put him on. The director mentioned that the entire team was under a lot of stress and spent many sleepless nights finishing the film.
Also read:The Mandalorian: Jon Favreau Accidentally Exposes Pedro Pascal Starrer’s Glaring Plot Hole That Can Spell Disaster for Star Wars
Jon Favreau Approached Genndy Tartakovsky For An Action Scene
Jon Favreau reportedly went into production ofIron Man 2without a finished script. However, the director had locked in on the action scenes weeks before filming as it would give the visual effects team enough time to work on the VFX. He reportedly worked with Matthew Libatique to shoot motion capture footage using a virtual camera.
While most of the action scenes were planned to perfection, Favreau was still apprehensive about the climactic battle with Iron Man and War Machine against the Hammer Drones in a Japanese tea garden. He reportedly did not want the scene to be a messy, CGI-heavy climax (like the ones that are seen in the MCU now) and hence approached legendary animator Genndy Tartakovksy for guidance.
The animator was known for his work onSamurai Jack,Dexter’s Laboratory, andBatman: The Animated Series. He was also the creator of the adult animated seriesPrimal. He said,
“Jon was a fan, and he liked the sensibility that I had on Samurai. I know what I would want from this situation, so I just tried to give it to him—and he could use all of it or none of it.”
Tartakovsky was reportedly responsible for the 360-degree spinning Iron Man beat in the film, which was one of the better parts of the critically panned sequel.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2419
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
