(Another) Iron Man cometh

No such thing as superhero fatigue!

Well isn't that exactly what you'd expect to hear from Marvel executives at the premiere party of "Iron Man" a few days ago? And we did. Paul Gitter, Marvel's president of consumer products, chatted over cocktails about his high hopes for the movie and all the swag spawned by it (toys, lunch boxes, bed sheets and other assorted ephemera, which, as he learned with "The Hulk" circa 2003, can move even if the film disappoints).

And then came the north-of-$100 million "Iron Man" opening weekend.

Now, Marvel gives us a future filled with "Thor," "Captain America," and, of course, "Iron Man 2," with a likely re-team of Jon Favreau and Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr., according to the company's giddy announcement this morning.

That does leave 2009 without a Marvel Studios tentpole, but that's what TV, DVD, comics, the Interwebs and the aforementioned licensed gear is for -- to stoke interest in the franchises even in a non-feature year.

What we've learned so far: there was a lot of pent-up demand for an action-packed event movie, Favreau's casting choices should never be questioned again, and starting in 2010, summer will begin on April 30.

Comments

[patrick]

Iron Man was a practically flawless hero flick; its makers drop some pretty obvious sequel hints too... i'm thinking the next one should be equally great