Iron Man without Robert Downey Jr.? RDJ is Tony Stark… but we may have to face facts – he’s not going to do it forever. A time will come when someone else plays the billionaire hero. When that sad day comes, the question isn’t who will replace him… The question is, will you, the audience, accept the change?
In this era of remakes, re-boots, sequels, and adaptations, scarcely little new original content is created – instead, massive amounts of money are poured into remakes that cater to a pre-existing fan base. No movie franchise is complete without a Hollywood A-lister, commanding enormous salaries, driving budgets even higher. But is the “movie star” a necessary component for success in the market place? Or do audience just want a great story? Back in the golden age of cinema, Hollywood studios sought out, discovered and curated movie “stars”. And audiences loved them. But today the general sentiment seems to be that “Hollywood has run out of original ideas.” And we keep seeing the same people over and over. Re-make after re-make. Sequel after sequel. Certainly there is no lack of new talent to help these stories come to life. The independent film scene is flush with outstanding up and comers. But what the indy scene lacks is an audience. Independents lack an audience partly due to limited marketing budgets, limited distribution infrastructure, and limited press opportunities. Press opportunities are limited because bloggers know that a story about Iron Man will generate more hits that a story about an unknown indie. More hits = more ad revenue. Ultimately, the trend of remakes and sequels will continue as long as audiences support those types of films. The bigger the budget, the more the studio will attempt to minimize risk… but typically the greatest creative achievements result from taking the biggest risks. Will you, the audience support the risk takers? Next time you’re out Redboxing or Netflixing, check out something with people you’ve never seen or heard of before. Then come back here and say what you liked or didn’t like about it. Would Iron Man live on with a no name actor? Can content be king? Or will the star system, always, reign supreme? Chad Thackston is an actor/producer living in Houston and can be seen in the upcoming Pickaxe Murders III, Dawn of the Crescent Moon and Killing Mr. Right.