Jon Favreau Out, 'Lethal Weapon' Writer in as Director of 'Iron Man 3'?

With Jon Favreau out as director for "Iron Man 3", there's a huge creative hole to be filled in the project. After all, a large part of what made the original "Iron Man" so great was Favreau's script and directorial touch: the man has a knack for comedy, and his humor fit the movie perfectly.

Marvel doesn't seem worried, as they have already pegged someone else to approach for the job of writing and directing the next "Iron Man" installment: Shane Black. Black wrote the first two "Lethal Weapon" movies, which indicates that he can handle the action/comedy genre. Most notably, though, Black wrote and directed "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", which starred Robert Downey Jr. in one of his best performances.

Black's previous work with RDJ certainly gives him a leg up over the competition for the job, especially considering that RDJ has director approval written into his contract. Whomever Marvel Studios chooses, Downey has to give the thumbs-up.

Black hasn't exactly proved himself as capable of directing something this large-scale yet, as "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" was a smaller, character-driven movie. Then again, before "Iron Man", Favreau's directing resumé was fairly short and only had "Elf" has his biggest project.

Now Favreau is working on projects like the upcoming sci-fi/western action epic "Cowboys and Aliens". So Marvel clearly isn't afraid to hire someone lacking in big-budget moviemaking experience, and obviously the gig can be great for a small-time director's career.

Marvel Studios has already met with Shane Black, and he has reportedly pitched his take on "Iron Man 3". However, Black is not yet a lock for the job. The decision might not come very soon, as "Iron Man 3" is set for a May 2013 release, following Marvel's slew of "Avenger" set-up movies like "Thor" and "Captain America", as well as the Avengers movie itself.