'Iron Man 4' updates, release date news: still no word on fourth installment; Iron Man's next appearance is in solo Spider-man movie

The return of the billionaire playboy and ingenious engineer superhero known as Iron Man — to be played by Robert Downey Jr. — is much anticipated but there has been no confirmation of a fourth movie in the works. Although Tony Stark will not be appearing soon in a solo movie, he will be joining Spider-man in his own newest film reboot.

There has been no confirmation of a fourth installment in the "Iron Man" movie series. In a previous interview with Variety, Downey gave a straight answer that there are no plans for "Iron Man 4." The possible reason for this discontinuation is that over the success of the "Iron Man" series, the actor has become too expensive for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to Cinema Blend. But recent reports give speculations that a sequel could still happen.

In the previous coverage of ABC News on "Captain America: Civil War," Downey responded "I feel like I could do one more," in relation to the "Iron Man" series.

Also, according to "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau, Iron Man played by Downey is an element that unified Avengers as a unit as reported by Comic Book Movie.

While the fate of "Iron Man 4" is still being decided, Tony Stark might be appearing in another hero's solo movie, which is "Spider-man: Homecoming" where the lead character Peter Parker will be played by Tom Holland.

In a recent Facebook post, Downey posted a photo of him with Holland, Favreau, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and celebrity chef Roy Choi. The caption included "new project," which pointed speculations towards Iron Man appearing in the upcoming Spider-man solo movie.

Movie News Guide confirms that in 2017 Downey will be joining Holland in "Spider-man: Homecoming" as Iron Man, along with director Favreau, who will reprise his role as Happy Hogan. After this, Holland and Downey will also reprise their roles as Spider-man and Iron Man in the upcoming installment of "Avengers" titled "Avengers: Infinity War," which is expected to premiere in 2018.

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