Marvel took my advice. Sort of. Robert Downey Jr. will be back as Tony Stark and Iron Man, but only for two sequels to last summer’s Marvel’s The Avengers.
RDJ returns as Iron Man in Avengers 2 and 3. Source: Marvel Entertainment.
Need an example? Let’s take the obvious: writer Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard. The pair won the Eisner (the comics industry’s top award) in 2010 for Best Continuing Series for The Walking Dead, which has seen more than 100 issues in its 10-year run and which today serves as the source material for AMC Networks‘ top-rated drama of the same name.
Whedon, too, knows the benefit of continuity, having won a similar Eisner for his work alongside artist John Cassaday in a 24-issue run of Astonishing X-Men. He also wrote and directed seven seasons of the acclaimed TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Star Sarah Michelle Gellar appeared throughout.
Promo poster for the first season DVD set of Buffy. Source: 20th Century Fox.
Movies tend not to enjoy this sort of continuity because it can take two years or more to make a film. Committing to, say, a trilogy is tantamount to committing a decade of your life to one massive project. Actors and writers — especially the successful ones — tend to avoid such professional straitjackets.
Is that what Downey Jr. just agreed to? In a way, yes. But he’s also such an unusual case that it wouldn’t surprise me if his contract includes specific provisions for taking other work. Whedon, so far, hasn’t been confirmed for a third Avengers film.
I’d prefer that, but for The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) investors, what matters here is that RDJ will be the face of the franchise for at least the next five years. That’s impressive continuity in a business known for change, and history says it’ll pay off.
Consider the Die Hard and Harry Potter franchises. Both series have produced more than $1 billion in global box-office receipts while keeping their most identifying actors — Bruce Willis as John McClane; Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter — in lead roles.
Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX) is hoping to build something similar by re-signing the men behind Man of Steel, screenwriter David S. Goyer and director Zack Snyder, for Man of Steel 2. The first film is already a success, having generated more than $400 million at the worldwide box office. Goyer is also to write a Justice League film that’s reportedly targeted for 2015. The message? Continuity appears to be coming to the DC Universe.
Marvel, thanks to its new deal with Downey Jr., is already there.
Now it’s your turn to weigh in. What do you think of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s re-signing of RDJ? Do you believe Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX) can build a DC cinematic universe as expansive as the one Marvel is creating? Leave your comments in the box below.
The article “Man of Steel” May Be a Hit for DC, but Marvel Just Changed the Game originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Tim Beyers.
Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Walt Disney and Time Warner at the time of publication. Check out Tim’s Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool recommends AMC Networks and Walt Disney and owns shares of Walt Disney.
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