After some thought, I have decided I like the casting, and 
look forward to what he will bring to the project. He has a lot in common with the character. He has struggled with substance abuse and has hopefully become a better man for it, plus he has turned in some very good acting performances. He will be playing a character who has struggled with alcohol abuse to come out the other end of the tunnel as a stronger person for it.
Now they can start focusing on the rest of the supporting cast and the villains. The only other casting notable I have seen as negotiations continue is Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes, Stark's best friend and confidante. He is also a man who has donned black and white versions of the Iron Man armor, then taken another name to become War Machine. Not sure I like the idea of Howard as Rhodes. I would picture someone bigger and more physically imposing. I think Michael Dorn or Henry Simmons would be good choices for the role.
The big question after everything is in place, is how good will it be? Will it be Spider-Man or will it be Elektra? Or perhaps somewhere in between? Time will tell, with the proposed date of May 2, 2008 being the date that it will be unleashed upon the world for final judgment.
Article comments
1 - Paul Roy
I hope they don't screw this one up. Iron Man was my favorite comic book when I was still reading them about 25 years ago. I always thought Iron Man would make one of the best comic book based movies, because of the excellent story line, and the unbelievable action. Robert Downey Jr. would be a good choice if he wasn't so puny. I think Stark/Iron Man should be played by someone more than 5'8" on a good day.