We've known for a while that Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. were hoping to reunite on Cowboys and Aliens, an adaptation of a graphic novel that's about exactly what it sounds like it's about. But apparently that reunion might be happening a lot sooner after Iron Man 2 than anyone thought.

The Daily Beast is reporting, as part of a larger article on Avatar's effect on pictures in development, that Cowboys and Aliens is ready to start filming in July, with Favreau attached but no mention of Downey Jr. Also, of course, they want to do it in 3D-- at this point it would be surprising to hear about a big-budget action movie that won't be in 3D.

I wonder how likely it is that Downey Jr. will be able to make time for the movie as soon as this summer, given how in-demand he is everywhere else. And it's surprising that Favreau would want to jump into something so new and gigantic immediately after Iron Man 2, with Iron Man 3 presumably already in the planning stages. But if that's what it takes to get this simple and amazing concept on the screen with these two guys collaborating, so be it. I won't be the one to complain about seeing it sooner.