Downey Jr to return as Iron Man

Downey Jr plays an industrialist who invents a high-tech suit of armour

Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr has signed up for a sequel to comic book adaptation Iron Man, due to be released in 2010, Marvel Studios has said.

The first Iron Man film was released at the weekend and took $98.6m (£50m) in three days in the US and Canada.

Following its success, a string of new movies based on other comic characters will be made.

They will include Thor, Captain America and The Avengers - a group of heroes not connected to the British TV series.

Hi-tech

Kevin Feige, head of production for Marvel Studios, said much of Iron Man's success was down to Downey Jr.

"It's great to see a sold-out audience that you know is made up of comic book fans and people who had never read an Iron Man comic in their life," he said.

Downey Jr plays a billionaire industrialist who invents a hi-tech suit of armour that transforms him into a superhero, with Gwyneth Paltrow playing his personal assistant.

Iron Man's takings represent a successful comeback for the actor, whose battles with drugs had seen his career suffer in recent years.

Early estimates said the film had taken $101m (£51m) in its opening weekend in the US and Canada, but final takings showed it had fallen just short of the $100m mark.