Bridges linked to Marvel's "Iron Man"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jeff Bridges has joined the cast of the superhero film "Iron Man," the first feature film to be produced independently by Marvel Entertainment.

Robert Downey Jr. stars as armor-clad superhero Iron Man and his alter ego, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark. Bridges will portray a confidant and close business associate of Stark, a longtime employee at defense contractor Stark Industries who plays a major role in shaping Stark's life.

"We've been talking to Jeff for long time," Marvel's president of production, Kevin Feige, said. "There are many facets to this character which I can't discuss, but looking at the spectrum of all of Jeff's roles, this fits in nicely with the man who played 'Starman,' 'Tucker,' 'Big Lebowski,' with a little bit of 'Tron' thrown in."

Jon Favreau ("Elf") is directing the movie, which Paramount Pictures will distribute, with a planned release date of May 2, 2008.

Bridges' boarding marks the fourth Academy Award-recognized actor signed on for the "Iron Man" cast, which in addition to Oscar nominee Downey includes nominee Terrence Howard and Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow.

Bridges, a four-time Oscar nominee, will next be seen in the comic drama "A Dog Year" and has a voice role in the animated film "Surf's Up."