 Robert Downey Jr has had a turbulent personal life |
Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr is to play superhero Iron Man in Hollywood's latest comic book adaptation. The Marvel Studios film is due to begin shooting in February.
Marvel's president of productions, Kevin Feige, said Downey Jr's "versatility... makes him an ideal fit to play such a complex character".
Iron Man, co-created by Stan Lee in the early 1960s, is famed for his special high-tech suit of armour which he uses to fight evil.
Downey Jr's previous films include Chaplin, for which he won an Oscar nomination, and recent Richard Linklater film A Scanner Darkly.
"We cannot think of another actor better suited to bring one of Marvel's crown jewels to the big screen," Mr Feige added.
Downey Jr recently signed a deal to write his memoirs.
The 41-year-old's widely reported drug problems led to prison, rehabilitation and probation in the 1990s.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
