'Iron Man 4' leading man Robert Downey Jr. was recently named Forbes' world's highest paid actor for the third year in a row. Speculations point to production delays for the standalone's follow-up caused by actor's negotiations for a higher talent fee.

In an article by Variety, Downey Jr. made it to the top of Forbes' 2015 list of Hollywood's highest earners against 34 other international names from seven countries. It was revealed that he receives as much as $80 million for his roles in blockbuster films, including the popular 'Iron Man' franchise from Marvel.

He outbest fellow actors Jackie Chan (who came to a close second place with $50 million), Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Adam Sandler, Tom Cruise, and Mark Wahlberg. Three Bollywood hot shots Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, and Akshay Kumar also made it to the esteemed list.

It seems that life really does imitate art as Downey Jr. is living the life of his billionaire playboy character Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man. It was also reported that his earnings from 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' that amounted to $1.4 billion worldwide contributed to his climb to the top of the list. He is also reportedly getting $40 million for his role in 'Captain America: Civil War'.

E! Online recently reported of Downey Jr.'s reunion with co-star Gwyneth Paltrow over the weekend. The article posted a photograph of the A-lister duo in a beach setting taken from Paltrow's personal Instagram account. It didn't confirm whether their meeting was for the purpose of 'Iron Man's' sequel or just a random summer get together as friends but it certainly hinted towards the former.

Development for the new film continues to be kept under wraps at this point. According to Breathe Cast, delays were rumored to be caused by ongoing financial negotiations between Downey Jr. and Marvel. The actor allegedly requested for a pay raise from his already expensive talent fee of $50 million. Marvel was said to be considering this since 'Iron Man 3' did well in the box office on its release last 2013.

'Iron Man 4' is a planned superhero film in Marvel's successful franchise and part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It revolves around the adventures and exploits of main protagonist Tony Stark who is known to be the master engineer and genius inventor behind the technologically advanced Iron Man. Downey Jr.'s performance received praise from industry critics and fans alike