(SET PHOTO REMOVED)
The Iron Man 3 production team continues to make waves in Beijing, with online bloggers and passionate comic-book-movie fans scouring China looking for insight into the scenes Marvel is filming in the country for Shane Black’s sequel, which continues to plow ahead toward its May 3, 2013 release date.
Earlier, we ran two photos of Chinese actor Wang Xuequi participating in the shoot. In one, he poses with Robert Downey Jr. (potentially not in any scene but just on set) and in another, he’s dressed as a doctor in a scene with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). And if you have been patiently waiting for an image with Xuequi standing next to Iron Man, well, you’re in luck. The snapshot above was shared via THR, which can’t really confirm whether it’s part of the sequel or just a random photograph from the movie’s set. Is it Downey Jr. in the suit? A random stunt man? No clue, really. All the trade can say is that the actor is “explaining about Beijing life” to Iron Man, who recently has just “descended to Yongdingmen,” the gate at the southern edge of the Chinese city.
And as THR elaborates, the casting of Xuequi in the role of a villainous doctor has boosted the film’s profile in the Asian film community, which producers hope can lead to a stronger financial foothold in subsequent Marvel projects. I stand by my thoughts that it’s a good idea. I mean, look at how many stories we’ve generated simply by Xuewui simply participating in an undetermined number of scenes. Iron Man 3 can’t open soon enough. Get here now, Summer 2013.
