Variety reports that while Marvel are unwilling to confirm just yet, respected actor Ben Kingsley is set to take on a role in the third Iron Man film, but it won’t be the long assumed role of the Mandarin, one Tony Stark’s long-term opponents.
Those “insiders”, who seem to get all the inside goss, says that a role will definitely go to Kingsley, but won’t say who. They add that the film, like elements of the first Iron Man, will be based on Warren Ellis’ Extremis, which makes sense give the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s origin of Iron Man in the Middle East.
This begs the question as to who Kingsley will play if not Mandarin, but perhaps this is all double-bluffing. Either way, we can look forward to Iron Man 3 being scheduled for 3 May 2013. Production is expected to take place in May 2012 in North Carolina.
Here’s a clip from the Iron Man: Extremis motion comic:
