It has been previously reported that Iron Man will be getting a sequel that will reunite director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. Although, that really should have come as no surprise to anyone. After all, the movie was the second biggest hit of the summer (it seemed poised to be the biggin’ of the summer until that pointy eared bastard came to town with his smiley friend), it was inevitable that Marvel Studios would crank out another unit. However, this time the expectations will be different.

Iron Man came into cinemas this year with low expectations and proved to be a pleasant surprise. The follow up won’t be so easy. We know how funny Downey Jr. can be now and we know that Favreau has the directorial chops to handle a blockbuster. Last time every clip and trailer was a surprise that built buzz. This time expectations are in place and the entire geek community will paying close attention. With the Iron Man DVD now two weeks away, Favreau and others have begun another round of press and details of Iron Man 2 are starting to drop. It’s time to start the hype machine, so let’s discuss the latest details before for all the message board fanboys exaggerate the facts.

First off, John Favreau has let it be known that he is already hard at work on the screenplay and is trying to get it ready as soon as possible. This comes as a bit of a relief for two reasons. First, there was concern that the director wouldn’t want to dive into a sequel right away or that the studio wouldn’t let him, but knowing that “the man who wrote Swingers” is behind the wheel again is enough to inspire confidence. Second, it’s nice to know that he is in control of the screenplay rather than the script being assigned to a series of over-paid writers until the producers are happy. In comic book franchises the best movies are always the second chapter when directors have full control of the universe, minimal studio interference, and no origin stories to trudge through (see Batman Returns, Spider-man 2, X2, and The Dark Knight). If Favreau has total control, we can expect good things.