According to The Hollywood Reporter, 2013’s Iron Man 3 – the first Marvel movie to follow the forthcoming Avengers Assemble – will be partially shot and partially set in China, in order to maximise its profits.
Less that 50 foreign movies a year are allowed into the Chinese market, but those that do can make twice as much there as they do in the US, and the production is looking to increase the appeal of the Iron Man franchise to Chinese audiences.
What this means for Sir Ben Kingsley, who is rumoured to be playing The Mandarin, is uncertain – even without the pressure to have the film perform well in China, the original xenophobic caricature that was introduced in a 1964 issue of Tales Of Suspense, just wouldn’t be appropriate.
Nor would Sir Ben Kingsley playing a Chinese character (not that this seemed to bother Liam Neeson when he took on the role of the Ra’s al Ghul, ostensibly an Arab, in Batman Begins), so just what sort of Mandarin do you think we’ll be seeing?
Iron Man 3 is set for a 3 may 2013 release, while Avengers Assemble is in cinemas 26 April 2012.
