'Iron Man' 4 cast news: Mel Gibson to direct film?

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More speculations about the development of "Iron Man 4" are being talked about after Robert Downey Jr. hinted that he is willing to reprise his role as the titular character in the hit movie franchise.

In an interview with The Daily Star, Downey revealed that he is willing to portray the role of the popular Marvel superhero for the fourth installment of the series after the overwhelming box office success of the franchise since the first "Iron Man" film was released in 2008.

"I don't know how long I'll do it for," the actor said. "I'll keep playing Iron Man for a couple more years, I guess."

Meanwhile, "Iron Man 3" director Shane Black revealed in an interview with Uproxx that Downey was eyeing Mel Gibson to direct the fourth "Iron Man" film.

"Mel's a great guy and I understand his new directing project is actually quite interesting," Black said. But the filmmaker admitted that he is still looking forward to working with Downey again in the future.

However, IGN speculated that there will also be a possibility that director Jon Favreau will return to the franchise in the fourth film after directing "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2."

Other speculations claim that Iron Man's next villain will be the real Mandarin and his group in the fourth installment of the film. Other rumors stated that Iron Man/Tony Stark will face the wrath of Fin Fang Foom and Spider-Man in the next sequel.

But news about the development of "Iron Man 4" remains to be purely speculative at this time, since Downey and Marvel Entertainment have yet to announce if the film will still push through.

Downey was last seen wearing Iron Man's suit during the recently released "Captain America: Civil War" film, which broke box-office records even before the film's official release date.