'Iron Man 4' movie news: Robert Downey Jr. to return as Tony Stark?

Rumors have been swirling around Robert Downey Jr.'s return to "Iron Man 4." Recently named as Forbes' highest paid actor in the world, it looks like things are going great for Downey. To add, $75 million of his earnings came from "Iron Man 3" alone, so what's stopping him in returning to the movie franchise?

"It's down to Kevin (Feige, Marvel Studios president) and Ike (Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment) and Disney to come to us with what the proposal is, and that's on us to agree or disagree," Downey said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "When things are going great, there's a lot of agreement."

While he was shooting the Avengers, Downey had said, "Right now, this has just been swell, hasn't it? This has been a really good one and it feels good and we're having a good time."

Based on Downey's words, it seems like the highest paid actor was indeed having a great time. And if the movie creators still want him back, then he might be back.

"I see no reason why Tony Stark can't be as evergreen as James Bond. Or Batman for that matter. Or Spider-Man," said Feige last year. But the only problem is, which actor is best suited to replace Downey if he does not return?

Colin Farrell's name has consistently popped up as the new Tony Stark in "Iron Man 4." However, Marvel Studios hasn't confirmed this news. Nevertheless, Marvel is open to casting new actors for the coveted role.

According to Contact Music, Farrell might be the man to replace Downey. In the Iron Man movie series, Downey added that cheeky and charming persona in the modern Iron Man and Farrell could indeeed pull this off as well.

Then again, finding an actor to be the new Tony Stark is only half the challenge. Finding an actor that the movie fans will embrace as the new Tony Stark is another story. Also, can the fans really part with Downey as Iron Man that easily? We'll all have to wait how Marvel will handle this.