‘Iron Man 4’ Update: Movie May Not Happen; Robert Downey Jr. to Focus on ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’

"Iron Man 4" was rumored to air in 2016, but lead actor Robert Downey Jr. shot that gossip down quickly. In 2014, he told the media that Disney/Marvel had no plans to film another standalone movie about Tony Stark, but that hasn't stopped fans from hoping that the studio producers will change their minds.

Will there be an "Iron Man 4"? RDJ might be too expensive

The answer is a big, resounding "No." As much as superhero fans would love to see Iron Man take the center stage again, his story has already been explored. The "Iron Man" trilogy has garnered at least $2 billion in ticket sales alone. Because of his popularity, Robert Downey, Jr. was able to negotiate a $50 million dollar contract for his role in "The Avengers".

From a production team's point-of-view, it sounds too expensive. Other Marvel movies have done well without the actor, after all. Moreso, even without "Iron Man 4", fans will still be getting an eyeful of Tony Stark and his suits in other Marvel films like "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Avengers: Infinity War" parts 1 and 2.

According to CinemaBlend, the "Sherlock Holmes" actor personally thought he could do more Tony Stark appearances in the future. The fact remains: Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man will appear in many Marvel films even without "Iron Man 4". He already had a big role in "Captain America" Civil War" and the genius billionaire will be seen in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" next.

RDJ will now focus on "Sherlock Holmes 3" instead

It seems that even if the "The Soloist" actor chooses to focus on other projects, his ties with the Disney/Marvel family are still present. Variety reports that the production people behind the "Sherlock Holmes 3" are also the ones responsible for "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Star Wars: Rogue One", "Tomb Raider", and "Snowden".

The last installment in the Victorian-era film will still include Jude Law as Dr. Watson, but the rest of the cast remains unannounced. The film was given the go-signal more than two years ago, but production was delayed because of the cast's busy schedules. Robert Downey, Jr. himself was especially busy with Marvel films. Now that "Iron Man 4" has been indefinitely shelved, the actor can finally dedicate his time to "Sherlock Holmes 3".

Iron Man will appear in "Spider-Man: Homecoming", which will be available in theaters on July 7, 2017. The sarcastic genius engineer will be helping a high school Peter Parker (Tom Holland) with handling life as a superhero. The movie itself has sparked rumors when the lead actor posted an Instagram photo with actress Skai Jackson, who was the inspiration for Riri Williams, Tony Stark's protégé in the Marvel comics.