Get all the details after the break.
When word first hit that Ben Kingsley was joining the cast of “Iron Man 3”, fan speculation immediately turned to him playing Tony Stark’s arch nemesis The Mandarin. While studio officials have vehemently stated that Kingsley would not be playing the character, Latino Review reported today that a crew member let slip that Kingsley is indeed playing The Mandarin, although he would be playing more of a side character, pulling the strings from a distance.
That actually would make sense to set up a bigger role for Kingsley in the fourth film, since Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian is the main villain in the third film. It would also take care of a potential villain overload, which has never worked in other super hero films. I’m still torn on whether I want to take the word of some random crew member. Though, this wouldn’t be the first time Marvel has been misleading on the villain for a movie, they pulled the same act saying Loki wouldn't be the villain for “Thor”.
The next bit of news, which is fully confirmed is the involvement of the red, white, and blue Iron Patriot armor in the film. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for any of these patriotic gimmicks, as cheesy as they might be. SuperHeroHype, confirmed the news:
“The armor made its first appearance in 2009's "Dark Avengers" #1. Following the events of the "Secret Invasion" crossover, Norman Osborn was mistakenly heralded as an American hero and tasked with leading a group of government-sanctioned Avengers. Taking the technology from Stark Industries, Osborn designed his suit to represent the then-recently-deceased Captain America.*Spoiler Alert Below*
Because the character of Osborn is a Spider-Man villain and the rights rest at Sony Pictures, it's pretty much a certainty that a different character will be donning the suit in the upcoming film.”
We also got a look at James Badge Dale wearing the Iron Patriot gear via The Superficial. Click the link for all 5 photos.
Source: SuperHeroHype
“As you can see at the link above, the armor is being worn by James Badge Dale, who plays Eric Savin in the feature film. First announced earlier this month, Savin becomes, in the comic books, the cyborg villain Coldbood. At this point it is unknown whether or not we'll see the actor in multiple costumes or if Coldblood and Iron Patriot are being merged into one character.”