64-534: Jonathan Kolia Favreau ( / ˈ f æ v r oʊ / FAV -roh ; born October 19, 1966) is an American filmmaker and actor. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as Rudy (1993), PCU (1994), Swingers (1996), Very Bad Things (1998), Deep Impact (1998), The Replacements (2000), Daredevil (2003), The Break-Up (2006), Four Christmases (2008), Couples Retreat (2009), I Love You, Man (2009), People Like Us (2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Chef (2014). As
128-499: A CGI adaptation of Disney 's The Lion King , marking his first time directing a musical. Donald Glover voiced Simba, and James Earl Jones reprised his role as Mufasa from the original film. The film was released in July 2019. On July 29, The Lion King surpassed The Jungle Book to become Favreau's highest-grossing film as director, while also surpassing the original film. Simultaneous with his directorial projects, he worked as
192-547: A special education teacher. His mother was Ashkenazi Jewish and his father is a Catholic of Italian and French-Canadian ancestry. Favreau dropped out of Hebrew school to pursue acting. However, following his mother's death, both sides of his family worked to ensure he had a bar mitzvah ceremony. Favreau graduated from The Bronx High School of Science , a school for gifted students, in 1984 and attended Queens College from 1984 to 1987, before dropping out. His friend from college, Mitchell Pollack, said that Favreau went by
256-745: A "heartwarming, enlivening story" about hard work that embodied the school's values. The 50-day filming commenced on October 26, 1992, on the campus north of South Bend. Notre Dame, Holy Cross Junior College, and the local bar Cap N' Cork, served as filming sites. Notre Dame-specific locations encompassed its twin lakes, Notre Dame Stadium, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and the Golden Dome . Crowd scenes were captured during halftime at Notre Dame football matches against Boston College and Penn State . The pivotal scene where players carry "Rudy" off
320-407: A Hollywood director who feigns interest in developing mob associate Christopher Moltisanti 's screenplay in order to collect material for his own screenplay. In 2001, he made his film directorial debut with another self-penned screenplay, Made . Made once again teamed him up with his Swingers co-star Vince Vaughn . Favreau also starred in a TV series called Dinner for Five , which aired on
384-437: A Notre Dame fan, and his older brother. When his supportive best friend Pete is killed in a mill explosion, Rudy decides to follow his dream. In 1972, Rudy visits Notre Dame but is academically ineligible to enroll. With the help of local priest and former Notre Dame president Father John Cavanaugh, Rudy enrolls at nearby Holy Cross College , hoping to transfer. He approaches Fortune, head groundskeeper at Notre Dame Stadium, and
448-494: A chef who, after a public altercation with a food critic, quits his job at a popular Los Angeles restaurant to operate a food truck with his young son. It co-stars Sofía Vergara , John Leguizamo , Scarlett Johansson , Oliver Platt , Bobby Cannavale and Dustin Hoffman , along with Robert Downey Jr. in a cameo role. Favreau wrote the script after directing several big-budget films, wanting to go "back to basics" and to create
512-531: A comedy chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort, which he wrote. The film saw him co-star with Vaughn again, while Kristin Davis played his wife. He voices the character Pre Vizsla, the leader of the Mandalorian Death Watch, in the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars . In September 2009, he signed up to direct Cowboys & Aliens based on
576-517: A consultant on 24 episodes of The Orville from 2017 to 2019. He returned as Happy Hogan in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and co-executive produced Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Favreau filmed a scene for Avengers: Infinity War , but was cut, ending up on the Blu-Ray release. In 2017, Favreau directed the pilot episode of CBS ' Young Sheldon . On March 8, 2018, Lucasfilm announced that Favreau would executive produce and write
640-624: A cooking show for Netflix along with co-host Roy Choi , called The Chef Show . It premiered in June 2019. In December 2021 and July 2024, Favreau reprised his role as Happy Hogan in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine . In May 2022, Favreau produced the documentary series Prehistoric Planet alongside the BBC Studios Natural History Unit for Apple TV+ . In April 2016, it
704-441: A dent in." On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a rating of 78%, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's consensus reads, "Though undeniably sentimental and predictable, Rudy succeeds with an uplifting spirit and determination." Metacritic gave the film a score of 71, based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In 2006, AFI placed the film on its 100 Years...100 Cheers list, where it
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#1732779983935768-422: A film about cooking. It was well received by critics, who praised the direction, music, writing, story, and performances grossing $ 45 million against a production budget of $ 11 million. Favreau directed and produced the live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book , for Walt Disney Pictures , which was released on April 15, 2016, to critical and commercial acclaim. In 2019, it was reported that Favreau would direct
832-689: A filmmaker, Favreau has been significantly involved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe . He directed, produced, and appeared as Happy Hogan in the films Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010). He also served as an executive producer for or appeared as the character in the films The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). He has also directed
896-467: A guest judge and executive representative of Sony Corporation in week five of the NBC business-focused primetime reality TV show, The Apprentice . He was called upon to judge the efforts of the show's two teams of contestants, who were assigned the task of designing and building a float to publicize his 2005 Sony Pictures movie, Zathura: A Space Adventure . On April 28, 2006, it was announced that Favreau
960-490: A learning disability; the results indicate that Rudy suffers from dyslexia , which he then overcomes to become a better student. At Christmas, Rudy returns home to find that his family appreciates his college academic achievements, but his older brother Frank still mocks Rudy for his attempts to play college football. Rudy persists, and even losing his girlfriend to his older brother Johnny does not deter him. After two years at Holy Cross and three rejections from Notre Dame, Rudy
1024-554: A live-action Star Wars television series, titled The Mandalorian , for Disney+ . The series premiered on November 12, 2019, alongside the streaming service and was co-produced by Favreau's production company Golem Creations . Jon Favreau also lent his voice to the character of Paz Vizsla, who was portrayed by Tait Fletcher. During that same year, Favreau appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story voicing Rio Durant, "a very cool and important alien character" and member of Beckett's crew. In
1088-492: A lot of things that happened? Yeah. He got in, he got a sack. Was the crowd chanting? No. Did I throw in my jersey? No. Did he get carried off the field? He got carried off by three of the biggest pranksters on the team." The film was the closing night gala at the 1993 Toronto International Film Festival . Rudy received primarily positive reviews from critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that
1152-452: A movie, remember. Not all of that is true...The crowd wasn't chanting, nobody threw in their jerseys. He did get in the ball game. He got carried off after the game." Nearly 10 years later in an interview on Barstool Sports ' Pardon My Take podcast, Montana reiterated that the jersey scene and crowd chanting did not actually occur. He also implied that carrying Ruettiger off the field was sarcastic rather than celebratory, saying: "Was there
1216-537: A physician, on November 24, 2000. The couple has a son, Max Favreau and two daughters. Tillem is the niece of lawyer/talk show host Len Tillem . Favreau credits the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with giving him "a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance." Golem Creations Ltd. LLC is a television production company created by Jon Favreau on August 30, 2018. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , Favreau cited his fascination with
1280-625: A quick touchdown. This gives defensive player Rudy a chance to get in the game and be entered onto the Fighting Irish roster. Devine finally lets Rudy play on the Notre Dame kickoff to Georgia Tech. Rudy stays in for the final play, sacks the Georgia Tech quarterback, and is carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders to cheers from the stadium. An epilogue states that since 1975, no other Notre Dame player has been carried off
1344-402: A school he disliked. Despite initial reluctance, Pizzo eventually mentioned the project to Hoosiers director David Anspaugh and producer Robert Fried . In 1991, Fried successfully sold the project to Columbia Pictures , securing Anspaugh as the director and Pizzo as the writer. However, when Columbia's chairman Frank Price departed for Savoy Pictures , the new chairman Mark Canton put
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#17327799839351408-674: A strange mission to deliver a blue suitcase to a man named Cowboy in the desert. Favreau is credited as a screenwriter for the 2002 film The First $ 20 Million Is Always the Hardest . He scored his first financial success as a director of the hit comedy Elf (2003) starring Will Ferrell , Zooey Deschanel , James Caan , and Peter Dinklage . Also in 2003, Favreau had a small part in Something's Gotta Give (a film starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson ); Favreau played Leo, Harry Sanborn's (Nicholson) personal assistant, who visited Harry in
1472-608: Is finally admitted and attends football tryouts in the hope of making the team as a "walk-on" . Assistant coach Warren warns the walk-ons that 35 scholarship players will not even make the "dress roster" of players who take the field during games. However, Coach Joe Yonto notices Rudy's determination and gives him a spot on the daily practice squad. Rudy tells Fortune and persuades him to promise to see Rudy's first game. Rudy's hard work and dedication in practice convinces head coach Ara Parseghian to let him suit up for one home game in his senior year. However, Parseghian retires following
1536-450: Is given a job. Homeless, Rudy sneaks into Fortune's office through a window to sleep on a cot; initially indifferent to Rudy's plight, Fortune later leaves him with blankets and a key to the office. Rudy learns that Fortune, despite working at the stadium for years, has never seen a Notre Dame football game. Rudy befriends teaching assistant D-Bob, who helps him study in return for Rudy's helping him socially with girls. D-Bob tests Rudy for
1600-503: Is not the typical Hollywood leap into fantasy." In The Washington Post , Richard Harrington called Rudy "a sweet-natured family drama in which years of effort are rewarded by a brief moment of glory." Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called the film "Sweet-natured and unsurprising...this is one of those Never Say Die, I Gotta Be Me, Somebody Up There Likes Me sports movies that no amount of cynicism can make much of
1664-570: The 1974 season and is replaced by former Green Bay Packers head coach Dan Devine , who refuses to put Rudy on the game-day roster. Frustrated by not being on the dress list for the last home game, Rudy quits the team. Fortune finds a distraught Rudy and reveals that he had actually played for Notre Dame years earlier. However, Fortune quit the team because he felt his skin color kept him from playing; Fortune has regretted this decision ever since. Reminded that he has nothing to prove to anyone but himself and will forever regret quitting, Rudy returns to
1728-698: The American Film Institute 's "100 Years" series . The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 18, 1993, and was released in the United States on October 13, 1993, by TriStar Pictures . It stars Sean Astin as the title character, along with Ned Beatty , Jason Miller , Robert Prosky and Charles S. Dutton . The film had supporting roles from Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn , being both actors' first film roles. The script
1792-592: The ImprovOlympic and the Improv Institute . While in Chicago, Favreau landed his first film role alongside Sean Astin as tutor D-Bob in the sleeper hit Rudy (1993). Favreau met Vince Vaughn – who played a small role in this film – during shooting. The next year, he appeared in the college film PCU alongside Jeremy Piven , and the 1994 episode of Seinfeld titled " The Fire " as Eric
1856-509: The Notre Dame Glee Club . In reality, Coach Dan Devine had announced that Rudy would dress for the Georgia Tech game during practice a few days before. The dramatic scene in which Rudy's senior teammates laid their jerseys on Devine's desk in protest never happened. According to Ruettiger, Devine was persuaded to allow him to dress only after a number of senior players requested that he do so. Devine had agreed to be depicted as
1920-987: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – for several episodes. Favreau made appearances in the sketch-comedy series, Tracey Takes On... in both 1996 and 1997. Favreau landed the role of Gus Partenza in Deep Impact (1998), and that same year rejoined Piven in Very Bad Things (1998). In 1999, he starred in the television film Rocky Marciano , based on the life of world heavyweight champion, Rocky Marciano . He later appeared in Love & Sex (2000), co-starring Famke Janssen . Favreau appeared in 2000's The Replacements as maniacal linebacker Daniel Bateman, and that same year he played himself in The Sopranos episode "D-Girl" , as
1984-485: The University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles. It was the first film that the Notre Dame administration allowed to be shot on campus since Knute Rockne, All American in 1940. In 2005, Rudy was named one of the best 25 sports movies of the previous 25 years in two polls by ESPN (#24 by a panel of sports experts, and #4 by ESPN.com users). It was ranked the 54th-most inspiring film of all time in
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2048-461: The University of Notre Dame is located, Ruettiger found renewed inspiration after watching the 1986 film Hoosiers . A fortuitous encounter in South Bend led him to obtain contact information for Hoosiers screenwriter Angelo Pizzo . Around 1989, Ruettiger persistently pursued Pizzo, who initially had no interest in creating another Indiana-based sports film, especially one set at Notre Dame,
2112-433: The graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg . The science fiction Western film was released in 2011, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford , and is considered to be a financial disappointment, taking $ 174.8 million in box office receipts on a $ 163 million budget and received mixed reviews, with critics generally praising its acting while criticizing other aspects. In 2012, Favreau directed
2176-405: The "heavy" in the film for dramatic effect but was chagrined to find out the extent to which he was vilified, saying: "The jersey scene is unforgivable. It's a lie and untrue." As a guest on The Dan Patrick Show on September 8, 2010, Joe Montana , who was an active member of the team when Ruettiger played in the Georgia Tech game, confirmed that the jersey scene never happened, stating: "It's
2240-501: The 2019 film Avengers: Endgame , Favreau reprised his role as Happy Hogan in a cameo near the end of the film. The film, directed by the Russo brothers , was executive-produced by Favreau. Avengers: Endgame was released on April 26, 2019. In 2019, Favreau also appeared in the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming , Spider-Man: Far From Home . In May of the same year, it was also announced that Favreau would co-host and executive produce
2304-451: The Clown. Favreau then moved to Los Angeles, where he made his breakthrough in 1996 as an actor-screenwriter with the film Swingers , which was also Vaughn's breakthrough role as the character Trent Walker, a foil to Favreau's heartbroken Mike Peters. In 1997, he appeared on the television sitcom Friends , portraying Pete Becker – Monica Geller 's millionaire boyfriend who competes in
2368-479: The cable TV channel IFC from 2001 to 2005. He was a guest-director for an episode of the college dramedy Undeclared in 2001, and Favreau got some screen time as lawyer Foggy Nelson in the 2003 movie Daredevil (2003) (considerably more in the director's cut version). He also starred in The Big Empty (2003), directed by Steve Anderson . His character was John Person, an out of work actor given
2432-517: The field as of the time of the film's release in 1993. Rudy graduated in 1976, and five of his younger brothers went on to earn college degrees. In 1982, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger initially pitched a film project based on his life story to Hollywood executives but failed to generate interest. Later, he entered into a deal with a screenwriter who allegedly deceived him, resulting in the loss of his life savings. Residing in South Bend, Indiana , where
2496-622: The field was shot during that year's Notre Dame vs. Boston College game , with the 59,000 fans present chanting Rudy's name. N.F.L. Films, the National Football League 's cinematic division, handled the filming of football action scenes. Following the six-week stint in South Bend, the production relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where the Thompson Steel Mill was used. The nearby town of Whiting, Indiana , stood in for Joliet, Illinois. Actor Sean Astin , portraying
2560-419: The film "has a freshness and an earnestness that gets us involved, and by the end of the film we accept Rudy's dream as more than simply sports sentiment. It's a small but powerful illustration of the human spirit." Stephen Holden of The New York Times observed that "For all its patness, the movie also has a gritty realism that is not found in many higher-priced versions of the same thing, and its happy ending
2624-700: The film an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score and thus making Goldsmith their first choice to compose a soundtrack for Rudy . According to Soundtrack.net, "Tryouts" has been used in 12 trailers, including those for Angels in the Outfield , BASEketball , The Deep End of the Ocean , Good Will Hunting , The Little Vampire , Mafia! , Seabiscuit and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron . In 2008, Senator John McCain used "Take Us Out" as an official anthem during his presidential run. The piece of music
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2688-483: The film into turnaround in early 1992. Although Savoy Pictures nearly acquired the rights from Columbia, they opted out when foreign deals failed to materialize in time for an October 1992 production start. TriStar Pictures joined the project in September 1992 and gave the green light to the $ 13-million film after resolving "last-minute rights claims against the property." Filmmakers had a two-week window to revise
2752-628: The film's sequel, Iron Man 2 . Favreau said in December 2010 that he would not direct Iron Man 3 but remain an executive producer. Favreau was the third director attached to John Carter , the film adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs ' swashbuckling space hero . While he did not ultimately direct it, he did appear in a cameo in the film, as a bookie. In 2008, he played Denver, a bully-type bigger brother to Vaughn in Four Christmases . Favreau co-starred in 2009's Couples Retreat ,
2816-625: The films Elf (2003), Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), Chef (2014), The Jungle Book (2016), The Lion King (2019), and The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026). Recently, Favreau has been known for his work on the Star Wars franchise with Dave Filoni , creating the Disney+ original series The Mandalorian (2019–present), which Filoni helped develop, with both serving as executive producers. Alongside Filoni, he serves as an executive producer on all of
2880-489: The franchise on the live action series The Mandalorian . In December 2013, Will Ferrell stated that he did not want to make a sequel to Elf . Despite this, during an interview in January 2016, Favreau stated that a sequel could possibly be made. The next month however, Ferrell reiterated that it was unlikely that the sequel would happen and that he still did not want to return to the role. Favreau married Joya Tillem,
2944-422: The game as promised. With Notre Dame leading 17–3 in the fourth quarter, Devine sends all the seniors into the game except Rudy, despite Steele's and the assistant coaches' urging. Fans are aware of Rudy's goal from a story in the student newspaper, and a "Rudy!" chant begins in the stadium. Hearing this, the Notre Dame offense, led by tailback Jamie O'Hara, overrules Devine's call for victory formation and scores
3008-607: The hospital. In 2005, Favreau directed the film adaptation of the children's book Zathura . It received positive reviews, but was not commercially successful. Favreau continued to make regular appearances in film and television. He reunited with friend Vaughn in the romantic comedy The Break-Up and appeared in My Name Is Earl as a reprehensible fast food manager. Favreau also made a guest appearance in Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show . Also in 2005, Favreau appeared as
3072-420: The nickname "Johnny Hack" because of his abilities in the game Hacky Sack . He briefly worked for Bear Stearns on Wall Street before returning to Queens College for a semester in early 1988. He dropped out of college for good (a few credits shy of completing his degree), and moved to Chicago in the summer of 1988 to pursue a career in comedy. He performed at several Chicago improvisational theaters, including
3136-471: The overlap of technology and storytelling and that he gave the company its name because a golem was like technology; it could be used to protect or destroy if control was lost of it. The company most recently produced The Mandalorian , The Book of Boba Fett , and Ahsoka television shows, in partnership with Lucasfilm , and the Apple TV+ documentary series Prehistoric Planet . In May 2019, it
3200-740: The pilot for the NBC show, Revolution , and served as one of the show's executive producers, alongside J. J. Abrams . In 2013, Favreau directed an episode (Season 9, Episode 16) of NBC's The Office . That same year he filmed a pilot for a TV series based on the novel About a Boy , but set in San Francisco. He also directed the Destiny trailer "The Law of the Jungle". In 2014, Favreau wrote, co-produced, directed, and starred in Chef . Favreau played
3264-483: The project was cancelled sometime in 2008 after four years in development. In November 2010, it was reported that Favreau will direct a film titled Magic Kingdom , based on The Walt Disney Company 's theme park of the same name. In July 2012, Favreau reported officially that he was working on the film. In 2014, he stated that he still had interest in the project, and that he could direct it after finishing filming 2016 remake of The Jungle Book . In November 2012, it
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#17327799839353328-423: The script and just two days to secure permission to film at Notre Dame. The school had not agreed to allow its campus to be used as a film location since 1940's Knute Rockne, All American . Initially uninterested in another film about Notre Dame football, the university's administration, led by executive vice president Reverend William Beauchamp, changed its stance after reading Pizzo's script. They recognized it as
3392-547: The show's spin-off series, including The Book of Boba Fett , Ahsoka , and the upcoming Skeleton Crew . He produces films under his production company banner, Fairview Entertainment , and also presented the variety series Dinner for Five and the cooking series The Chef Show . Jonathan Kolia Favreau was born in Flushing, Queens , New York, on October 19, 1966, the only child of Madeleine, an elementary school teacher who died of leukemia in 1979, and Charles Favreau,
3456-407: The team. Each of his fellow seniors, led by team captain and All-American Roland Steele, lines up to lay his jersey on Devine's desk. Each player requests that Rudy be allowed to dress in his place for the season's final game. Devine lets Rudy suit up against Georgia Tech . With Rudy's family and D-Bob in attendance, Steele invites Rudy to lead the team onto the field, and Fortune is there to see
3520-422: The titular character, experienced "head-to-toe bruises" during the filming process. Additionally, Astin's stuntman sustained injuries, necessitating knee surgery by the conclusion of the shoot. The soundtrack to Rudy was composed and conducted by veteran composer Jerry Goldsmith . Goldsmith had previously worked with filmmakers Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh on their successful 1986 film Hoosiers , garnering
3584-514: Was announced that Favreau would be named a Disney Legend at the 2019 D23 Expo for his outstanding contributions to The Walt Disney Company . On February 13, 2023, Favreau received the 2,746th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rudy (film) Rudy is a 1993 American biographical sports film directed by David Anspaugh . It is an account of the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger , who harbored dreams of playing football at
3648-504: Was in active development, with Favreau directing, writing, and co-producing alongside Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni . The film is scheduled to be released in theatres on May 22, 2026. Favreau has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss ' book Tools of Titans . A motion-captured animated film titled Neanderthals was in development at Sony Pictures Animation in the mid-2000s that Favreau would have written and produced, but
3712-538: Was played at major events such as after Senator McCain's acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention and after John McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in Dayton, Ohio . "Take Us Out" was played in the pilot episode of About a Boy , based on the 2002 film of the same name. Also recorded in the film are performances of various Notre Dame fight songs by
3776-511: Was ranked #54. Rudy was released on VHS by Columbia TriStar Home Video on May 25, 1994, and on LaserDisc on June 22, 1994. The film was released as a Special Edition DVD on September 26, 2000. The film was released on Blu-Ray for the first time on September 9, 2008. A 30th Anniversary SteelBook 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray was released on November 14, 2023. It included a new director's cut, deleted scenes, and director's/writer's commentary. Hacky Sack Too Many Requests If you report this error to
3840-496: Was reported that Favreau would return to direct the sequel to the 2016 version The Jungle Book , his critically acclaimed live-action adaptation of the original film of the same name . Early pre-production of the sequel had begun by June 12, 2018, with Justin Marks , who wrote the previous film, having ended an early draft for the film. In January 2024, Lucasfilm announced that a feature film titled The Mandalorian & Grogu
3904-404: Was said that Favreau was being considered to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens , along with David Fincher , Brad Bird , Matthew Vaughn and Ben Affleck , but J. J. Abrams was selected to direct the film. In June 2015, Favreau stated that although he would not be working on the Star Wars anthology films, he could work on future Star Wars movies at some point. Favreau later worked with
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#17327799839353968-677: Was signed to direct the long-awaited Iron Man movie. Released on May 2, 2008, the film was a huge critical and commercial success, solidifying Favreau's reputation as a director. In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is one of three superhero movies to achieve this honor alongside Richard Donner 's Superman and Christopher Nolan 's The Dark Knight . Iron Man
4032-556: Was the first Marvel -produced movie under their alliance with Paramount , and Favreau served as the director and an executive producer. During early scenes in Iron Man, Favreau appears as Tony Stark's driver, Happy Hogan . He wrote two issues of a planned mini-series for Marvel Knights titled Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas , that debuted in September 2008 before being canceled in November 2008. Favreau also directed and executive produced
4096-458: Was written by Angelo Pizzo , who created Hoosiers (1986), which was also directed by Anspaugh. In the 1960s in Joliet, Illinois , Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger dreams of playing football at Notre Dame . However, he lacks the grades and money to attend along with the talent and physical stature to play major college football . Following high school, Rudy works at a steel mill with his father,
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