What if Christopher Nolan directed The Avengers? Robert Downey Jr jokes they’d ‘still be shooting’

“How did Robert Downey Jr become Iron Man?” Nolan asked, and the actor shot back, “It was God’s will. Well, and a pretty good screen test.” He added, “But I’ll really tell you what happened. The same weekend I did a movie called Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Jon Favreau did a movie called Zathura. They both tanked, and we were both really hungry to try to do something that would make an impact. And when Iron Man came out, everyone that knew me and loved me said, ‘This will do, until The Dark Knight comes out’.” Nolan laughed, as Downey added, “And here we are now.”

Turning the tables on the filmmaker, Downey asked Nolan what the Avengers would’ve been like if he’d directed it. Nolan said, “That is the multiverse conundrum. Having worked with you on Oppenheimer, there’d probably be a lot too much of Tony Stark. You’d be running away with the movie a little bit.” Without missing a beat, Downey replied, “Like I didn’t.”

Nolan also said that he probably wouldn’t use any CG, and asked Downey if he’d be prepared to get into a practical jet pack. Downey replied, “If Christopher Nolan had directed the Avengers, we would still be shooting it.”

The Avengers, and its sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron, was directed by Joss Whedon. Nolan directed three Batman films, and recently expressed interest in helming a James Bond adventure. Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy in the lead role, with Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh and others in supporting roles.