Robert Downey Jr. to play Iron Man

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Actor Robert Downey Jr. has landed the lead role of Tony Stark in Marvel's first independently produced film, "Iron Man."

The movie is being directed by "Zathura's" Jon Favreau and will be distributed by Paramount Pictures, said the Hollywood Reporter Friday.

Downey's character, Stark, is a genius inventor and billionaire who gets kidnapped and is forced to create a weapon. Stark instead builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity.

When Stark returns home, he uncovers a dangerous plot and must put on his armor to become Iron Man and protect the world.

The president of production for Marvel, Kevin Feige, said the filmmakers looked for the best actor to portray the character.

"The Marvel characters are not just about how high they jump or how fast they fly, they're about their character flaws," Feige said. "They're about their inner demons. They're about the struggles that they go through between being a man and being a hero."

Filming on the project is set to begin in February in Los Angeles.