Jon Favreau understands power. As an actor, he broke through by writing a roll for himself in Swingers. Then he made the move behind the camera as the director of Zathura and Elf and, now, the box-office smash Iron Man, which made almost $100 million its opening weekend.
Favreau talks with Elvis about the impact of 'indie' directors such as Tim Burton, Chris Nolan and, now, Favreau on the world of comic-book movies. They also discuss the importance of a strong script and good casting, Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Tony Stark (the "actor upstages the suit"), creative control, Sydney Pollack's influence (particular his laserdisc commentary on Tootsie) on Favreau's direction of Elf, and the huge impact of Swingers.