Iron Man 4: Robert Downey Jnr likely to return if Mel Gibson directs

Robert Downey Jr has revealed
during taping of an episode of The Ellen
DeGeneres Show , that he's "in the middle of
negotiations" for Iron Man 4 . "I know there's
going to be a bunch more Marvel movies,
and they have big ideas of how to do it best,"
he said. When the host Ellen DeGeneres
pushed for a firm "yes" on the question of a
fourth installment he added: "OK, yes!"
Downey Jnr had earlier joked that he would
return to play Tony Stark in another Iron
Man sequel if Mel Gibson was hired to direct
it.
The actor is still mulling over a return to the
Marvel comic book blockbuster franchise, and
admits his decision would be helped if his
old friend Gibson was asked to take charge of
Iron Man 4.
Downey Jnr insists the time is right for
Hollywood's bigwigs to forgive Gibson for his
past indiscretions and scandal-making
headlines, and offer him the chance to prove
himself as a top moviemaker again.
"Nobody should make a case for somebody
who just wants forgiveness but hasn't
changed, but he's a fundamentally different
guy," the 49-year-old told Deadline.
"I think it was just the very worst aspects of
somebody's psyche being treated as though
they were the blanket statement about a
person.
"But honestly we are talking about a
competitive business and it all comes down to
this: because he is so gifted as a storyteller
and a director, I don't know that he requires
some sort of mass forgiveness.
"He has changed, but at the same time he's
still Mel. He and I are so similar in so many
ways. He really, honestly is the first to admit
his character defects and also is just a great,
great collaborative guy."
Downey Jnr insists anyone who really needs
to know the truth about Gibson should look
at the Braveheart director's kids.
"I always say too that if you want to judge a
man or a woman then look at their kids," he
said.
"He has the healthiest, happiest, most
productive kids you could ever meet or
know, and I'm fortunate to be friendly with
several of them.
"He did a lot right, and there's stuff he taught
me about parenting that didn't sink in at the
time but have proven to be true."
Gibson, who has directed the epics The
Passion of the Christ and Braveheart , became
Hollywood's favourite villain when he
showered a Jewish traffic cop with anti-
Semitic remarks during an arrest in 2006.
He was also investigated for domestic
violence in 2010 in reference to an incident
between himself and ex-girlfriend Oksana
Grigorieva, the mother of his baby daughter
Lucia.