So, Mel Gibson for Iron Man 4? After three Iron Man movies, two Avengers movies (with two more coming) and a major part in Captain America: Civil War, one would think that maybe, just maybe, at some point people would have had enough Iron Man. Not so much. There is still very much a desire to see Iron Man 4 happen and Robert Downey Jr. once suggested he would do it if Mel Gibson directed it. Now Mel Gibson has weighed in on that possibility.

In the latest issue of Total FIlm, the Braveheart director did an interview for his new movie Hacksaw Ridge, which marks a major comeback for him. When Mel Gibson was asked about possibly directing Iron Man 4, he seemed open to the idea. Here is what he had to say.

"It might be fun. You'd have to figure out a way to be different with that."

That isn't exactly him saying that he is dying to direct Iron Man 4 or anything like that, but he doesn't seem closed off to the idea. He also happens to be right. Given the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 4 wouldn't even be able to come out until after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. By that time, so much will have happened to Tony Stark that the Iron Man franchise would need to be a bit different. Mel Gibson is very capable of different.

Mel Gibson took a decade-long break from filmmaking after having what one might call a bit of a public relations problem. Before taking that break, he made the movie Apocalypto. That was very much something different. Even Hacksaw Ridge is a very different kind of war movie. So if anyone could make Iron Man 4 and make it different, Mel Gibson certainly seems like at the very least an interesting choice to accomplish that. But a lot has happened since Robert Downey Jr. made his comment about his pal Mel Gibson directing the movie. In an interview with USA Today earlier this year, the actor revealed that he feels Iron Man 4 won't happen and that Captain America: Civil War was, in a way, his version of that. Here is what he had to say.

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"I don't think that's in the cards. In a way it's Cap 3 but for me it's like my little Iron Man 4. And then it's back to the thing we all recognize. Everything pulls over to the side of the road when the thunder of an Avengers thing comes through because that's how it is until it changes. If it changes."

Hacksaw Ridge is currently enjoying a relatively modest run at the box office but it will definitely be in the conversation during this upcoming awards season. So after that, it seems very likely that Mel Gibson could be in line to direct a major franchise movie, either before or after he directs his Passion of the Christ sequel. Will it be Iron Man 4? Probably not, but as he said: "It might be fun."

Ryan Scott at Movieweb
Ryan Scott