IRON MAN 3 (2013): Ben Kingsley in talks to play Villain

Ben Kingsley cast in Iron Man 3. Ben Kingsley is currently in final negotiations for the lead villain in Shane Black‘s Iron Man 3 (2013). Ben Kingsley was originally suspected of playing the Mandarin, “a wealthy Chinese scientist and martial arts expert who, by backing the warlord who imprisoned Stark, was indirectly responsible for his creating Iron Man.”

Instead, Ben Kingsley will be playing a character who “is involved in the spread of a virus through nanobots, given that ‘Iron Man 3′ is loosely based on Warren Ellis’ six-issue ‘Extremis’ comicbook series first published in 2005. That arc — which also heavily influenced the first ‘Iron Man’ pic — introduced a new origin story and focused heavily on nanotechnology.”

Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle are all reprising their previous roles for the previous Iron Man films.

On the behind-the-scenes people involved in Iron Man 3:

Louis D’Esposito will executive produce “Iron Man 3” for Marvel Studios, with Stan Lee and Charles Newirth. Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige will produce the pic with Avi Arad.

Production on Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 is set to start this May 2012. Iron Man 3 will be released in US theaters through Walt Disney Pictures on May 3, 2013.

Source: Variety, Total Film