EXCLUSIVE: Ben Kingsley is in final talks to play the villain in IRON MAN 3, but fans of the comicbook character will be disappointed to learn he won’t take on original Tony Stark archenemy the Mandarin. Though insiders acknowledged Kingsley’s involvement to Variety, Marvel declined to comment on the deal, and insiders denied that the character would be the Mandarin, a wealthy Chinese scientist and martial arts expert who, by backing the warlord who imprisoned Stark, was indirectly responsible for the creation of Iron Man.
Instead, Kingsley’s character 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. - Justin Kroll and Marc Graser
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