As the poster boy character for Marvel Studios and the first franchise to continue the Marvel cinematic universe post-Avengers, Iron Man 3 has a lot to live up to. Its predecessor Iron Man 2 is the weakest film in the series, but with a new director, higher expectations (and a higher budget), Iron Man 3 promises to kickstart Phase 2 of the franchise in a big way.
While Marvel President Kevin Feige and writer/director Shane Black describe the film as a standalone story, not weighed down by forced story threads for the next Avengers film, that certainly doesn’t mean it won’t contain plenty of connective tissues and/or new characters and details to be used in future Marvel films.
On the second episode of The Playlist’s new podcast, writer Gabe Toro shared a pile of details regarding upcoming plans and ideas from Marvel Studios for the next several years, beginning with Iron Man 3 which launches next summer. All of what we will discuss further below can be considered:
SPOILERS!!!
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Iron Man 3 has already begun shooting with returning cast members Robert Downey Jr. as the titular hero, Don Cheadle as a primary character in the War Machine armor, and Gwyneth Paltrow in a smaller role as Pepper Potts. The film also introduces a wide variety of new characters:
- Guy Pearce as Dr. Aldrich Killian
- Ben Kinglsey as The Mandarin (rumored)
- Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen
- James Badge Dale as Eric Savin
- William Sadler as undisclosed character
- Ashley Hamilton as Firepower
- Andy Lau as a scientist [The actor has since dropped out of the film, unfortunately.]
What Mr. Toro says is that Kingsley’s character is definitely a version of The Mandarin as we’ve all suspected, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. is part of the film, much like it was on the original Iron Man. Instead of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) keeping an eye on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) this time around, it’ll be Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) who was introduced this year in The Avengers as the right-hand of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
This wasn’t always going to be the plan, apparently, and director Shane Black wanted Val Kilmer to play Al MacKenzie, a lesser-known S.H.I.E.L.D. agent/CIA liason from the Marvel Comics. You can see the obvious connection between Shane Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. That would have been great casting, but Kilmer had scheduling conflicts.
As for William Sadler’s role in the film, he was rumored to play Sal Kennedy, a friend of Tony Stark and Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall’s character), but according to The Playlist, he’s instead playing a General who works with James Rhodes/War Machine.
Here’s where we get to the really interesting stuff:
Before dropping out of the film, Andy Lau was cast to play a character described as a “good guy” scientist of sorts. That character will be a version of Chen Lu (Radioactive Man) from the books. In Marvel Comics, Chen Lu is a nuclear physicist for the People’s Republic of China and a villain of Iron Man who works for The Mandarin. His abilities from exposure to radiation give him green-colored skin and the abilities to control radiation in various ways. I wouldn’t expect all of that to show up in Iron Man 3, but do expect his connection with these characters to surface as well as his connection to… Ant-Man.
In the books, Henry Pym (Ant-Man) fought Radioactive Man, defeating Lu and having him deported to China, but years later, when Lu had dropped his villainous roots to work with other superheroes, he and Pym worked together during the Marvel Civil War, building a prison for super-powered people.
The character may have a significant role that has him returning in future Marvel films, but for Iron Man 3, he may just show up in a special post-credits scene where Ant-Man is finally introduced. It’s this after-credits scene that may be shot by Edgar Wright, the director who’s been attached to Ant-Man for years and who has submitted several versions of its screenplay to Marvel, a script which is touted as being funny and exciting.
This scene is likely what Wright referred to when he told Empire and Slash Film that he hopes to be shooting something for Ant-Man this year.
“So as not to jinx things, I am going to remain spectacularly vague on this. Let’s just say I hope to shoot some Ant-Man & World’s End this year.”
This scene would feature Ant-Man, possibly masked. That may depend on casting, and there’s no word on that front. Seeing how Joss Whedon directed the post-credits button on Thor, which served as a lead-in to The Avengers, it makes sense to see Marvel doing the same with Edgar Wright on Iron Man 3 - and what better way to market a new, lesser-known character than with their biggest solo character franchise? This also lends credence to the idea that Ant-Man will join Captain America 2 as one of the 2014 Marvel Studios releases.
Let the speculation continue!
Iron Man 3 is currently shooting and is scheduled to hit theaters on May 3, 2013. Thor 2 comes later that fall and Captain America 2 the following spring.
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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.
Source: The Playlist
Header image edited from art by buzzelliArt, Radioactive Man art by Marko Djurdjević.
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I am upset that Andy Lau dropped out
Have no interest now, zero
If Tony Leung takes over or Aaron Kwok I may give a sh&t
I bet Lau dropped out when he found out the Mandarin is going to be played by a white British man. With all the excellent Asian talent in Hollywood and around the world it is an idiot decision and an insult to fan intelligence.
I was just joking about Radioactive Man being in Iron Man 3. But I didn’t think it’d turn out to be true! So I guess we’ll be getting Living Laser in Iron MAN 4.
Sounds like if it happens, he’ll be quite different than the books, but we’ll see!
99.9% chance that IM4 will be made. RDJ only had a 5 picture deal (ending with IM3) IF he renews his contract, I’m sure it will only be to feature in The Avengers 2 & 3 with some cameo appearances sometime down the line (seeing if he gets a 2-3 picture deal)
who knows tho.
WILL NOT BE MADE*
I was just joking about Radioactive Man being in Iron Man 3, but I didn’t think that they’d actually do it! Well then I guess we’ll probably see Living Laser in Iron Man 4.
A.N.T.-Man actually looks visually better than just plain Ant-Man. It looks like it means more,and could be made to mean more, they aught to go with that.
Ant Nullification Technology..that sounds decently cool
i’ll bet anything that agent maria hill will propose the superhero registration act to tony stark in IM3 and then hill will be an antagonist in a future avengers film
Totally agree! The alternate beginning to the Avengers supports that theory. Hill definitely shows some angst against Fury and the Avengers. However, a Civil War movie hardly seems doable considering how many of its own characters that Marvel lacks the rights to.
What about the HULK guys? You have forgotten The Incredible Green Monster? Who do you think will appear in his Post Credit, now that he stole the show in the Avengers? Lol!!!
As of now, Marvel does not have a slate for an Incredible Hulk sequel.
No, but Mark Ruffalo is contracted for 6 movies (not necessarily Hulk movies, but there will probably be at least one movie of his own, as well as cameos, etc…)
6 films.. which will most likely include if not limited to:
The Avengers 2 & 3
TIH2
thats 3 films right there.
3 others? I do not know.
Avengers 1, 2, 3, then a standalone film where he goes crazy, which will lead to planet hulk, then world war hulk completing 6 film’s. …wishful thinkin
What about the HULK guys? You have forgotten The Incredible Green Monster? Who do you think will appear in his Post Credit, now that he stole the show in the Avengers? Lol!!!
Radioactive man,huh? Can we say Masters of Evil for AVENGERS 2?
Now, now…Don’t forget The Avengers post-credits…
Awesome sauce!
I think it’d be great to have the post credit scene of IM3 feature Hank Pym (note, I said Hank Pym, not Scott Lang).
And as for the Radioactive Man being in this? I doubt it. They said a VERSION of that character (meaning, probably without the “radioactive” part). It is a shame that Lau didn’t want to do it though…
f*** you you pieces of s*** and come at me if you got a problem
the mandarin finaly … though i am sort of worried after they called the group that captured tony the ten rings … i hope they can realistically adapt him {a guy using alien engines as rings seems hard to faithfully adapt
Yeeeeaaaaah, don’t get your hopes up. I don’t think we’ll be seeing the rings in this one.
Yea the original version is too cheesy and Kingsley has not been in his A game in years, hope this does not disappoint.
After reading that instead of Coulson keeping an eye on Stark, and Maria will probably instead, it hit me full force that Coulson is dead and he won’t be in anymore Iron Man/Marvel movies…..
Marvel needs to get back thier characters from the other studios… I want to see a Full on Avengers/X-men/Fantastic Four Movie Damnit XD
I think Hulk will appear in Thor 2 or atleast should be part of it. Iron man 3 can also have Banner as assist to Tony. Ant-man movie is great and exiting idea to wait, but to have success with it they must make it really dark like Batman.
According to IMDB, William Hurt is rumored to play General “Thunderbolt” Ross/Red Hulk and Rocky Carroll as Sam Wilson/The Falcon. I really don’t see Red Hulk or the Falcon to have any sort of role in ‘Iron Man 3′, considering Red Hulk would have a more important role in a ‘Incredible Hulk’ sequel (if one is ever planned to be made) and Falcon is much more suited to be involved with the ‘Captain America 2′ movie
hey I heard that they are filming part of the movie in Guangzhou too! epic showdown between the mandarin i foresee!
mmm
This is I think in some part confirmed…. as it states in this article: http://comicbook.com/blog/2012/11/07/iron-man-3-officially-wraps-filming-in-north-carolina/.
Wang Xueqi as Chen Lu..
China..
ding ding, ding
Potts played a big role, not smaller role.. Tsk! She was so hot(cool self healing stuff in her body..)
Really??????
Funny music, strange meat, side of rice. Why are you splitting hairs. Also, it doesn’t really help your point calling him a cu*t.
Funny music, strange meat, side of rice. Why are you splitting hairs. Also, it doesn’t really help your point calling him a names.
I agree that the insult wasn’t necessary, but it is a bit insensitive to act like two countries that hate eachother are practically the same. Your ignorance of the differences in the cultures of the two countries is no excuse to insult them like that.
didn’t ben kinsley win an oscar for portraying gandhi? gotta say i think he’s a bit old though!
thought andy lau would have made a better mandarin….happy to see ant-man, would have been happier with ms.marvel…..also wondering if marvel would consider sticking wolverine in the next avengers film?????
Marvel doesn’t own the rights to Wolverine, 20th Century Fox does.
I think Lau as Mandarin would have been an inspired choice BUT…..he would have to really have to work on his English speaking skills.