Iron Man director Jon Favreau has admitted he and Robert Downey Jr have concerns about the sequel's release date because they need more time to do a follow up justice.
The director was stunned when Marvel Studios announced the film would be released in 2010, with actor Terrence Howard recently reporting that filming would begin next year. Favreau insists however that date "seems unrealistic".
"It's been five weeks since the one and only phone call my reps have gotten from Marvel. I know their hands are full with the Hulk and I’m sure they will get into it shortly, as they tell me they intend to. I ran into the Marvel guys at the Hulk premiere and everyone sounded eager to get to work on IM2," he said.
"I am concerned, however, about the announced release date of April 2010. Neither Robert nor I were consulted about this and we are both concerned about how realistic the date is in light of the fact that we have no script, story or even writers hired yet. This genre of movie is best when it is done thoughtfully and with plenty of preparation. It might be better to follow the BB/DK, X/X2 (Batman Begins, Dark Knight and the two X Men films) three year release pattern than to scramble for a date. It is difficult because there are no Marvel 09 releases and they need product, but I also think we owe it to the fans to have a great version of IM2 and, at this point, we would have less time to make it than the first one."
The first Iron Man, which stars comeback hero Downey Jr as the superhero, has become a huge box office hit following its recent release.