The Chinese are taking over Stark Industries. When China's DMG Entertainment came aboard to co-produce Iron Man 3 last month, there was a pretty clear mandate from Disney that the film was going to have a major international flavor. Not only would it be shot partially in China, but immediately we heard that Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau(Infernal Affairs) would be joining the cast as a colleague of Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr.). Now there may be one more about to get in on the action.
Yahoo! Singapore(via Twitch) have heard that mainland Chinese star, Fan Bingbing, has been contacted about joining Iron Man 3, which is set to kick off production this summer. The goal is to use this partnership between Disney and DMG, along with the film itself, to help push Chinese stars onto the international stage. Bingbing has made it no secret her desire to do just that, so this makes for a logical fit. Other Chinese stars have been contacted as well, although the story notes that a producer at DMG wouldn't admit that Lau was one of them. So maybe the announcement of his being in talks was premature? Bingbing is probably best known here for starring in films alongside Jackie Chan, such as The Twins Effect II and Shaolin.
Directed by Shane Black, we know that the film will be based on the Extremis storyline from the comics, and involves Tony Stark battling nanobyte powered foes. Chinese culture will also feature prominently, so don't be surprised if the Great Wall gets blown to smithereens. Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Ashley Hamilton, James Badge Dale, and Jon Favreau will co-star. Iron Man 3 is expected to hit theaters on May 3rd 2013.
