The blockbuster Iron Man movie may be a year from release, but anticipation for the Jon Favreau-directed action pic is quickly escalating.

Early casting notices revealed a star-studded team of actors including Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges. And now, kicking off the countdown are two images that have fans abuzz with excitement.


The first image, that of a buff Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark crafting his original Iron Man armor lit up message boards with fans scouring the photo for details. Is the first suit silver? Will he need it for life support, a possibility backed up by his glowing chest? Will there be other suits?


This second image, a picture of the Iron Man Mark III suit, was revealed in Entertainment Weekly and showed just how serious the cast and crew are to making the Iron Man film both faithful to the comics and awesome in its own right. Designed by special effects guru Stan Winston, the suit takes many cues from recent and current Iron Man comic appearances, yet is infused with real-world future tech.


And lest we forget this image, the first possible still from the Iron Man set. By all accounts it looks real and combined with the other images, paints a great picture of what's to come in the next twelve months as we approach the May 2, 2008 release of Iron Man.