Wednesday, November 18

• Faran Tahir Talks Iron Man 3 and Star Trek

  Earlier in the year, Iron Man actor Faran Tahir mentioned the possibility of a return as Iron Man's nemesis Mandarin in Iron Man 3 ... or at least as a "conduit" to Mandarin. Tahir told Moviefone that no decision has been made yet, but the possibility is there.

  Jon Favreau and [the producers] are not stupid. They're also listening in on all of this and wanting to get the pulse of where the audience is. But at some point, they want to introduce Mandarin into the storyline and my character, like Mandarin, was the leader of the Ten Rings. We're leaving it open because, partly, it makes good business sense for us to leave a little bit of uncertainty for people to speculate on.

  Tahir says Favreau has known "where he wants to take" Iron Man 3 "for a long time," and that there will be "linkage somewhere in [Iron Man 2" that will set up a third movie.

  In the meantime, Tahir has taken roles in television shows as well as the supporting role of Captain Robau in Star Trek. Tahir's screen time is brief, which may be why he feels that director J.J. Abrams may be out to get him.

  J.J. and I keep joking about that. I've done four things for him and every single thing I do for him, I die. It's like, "What the heck is your problem? Do you just not want me on Earth?" His last e-mail to me was, "I promise you the next time, you are not going to beepin' die."

  My thinking was that because it sets the mood for the entire saga, it was worth doing and was going to have an impact. So it's 10 minutes, but it's a good 10 minutes.

  
  

  Posted 11/18/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Jon Favreau | J.J. Abrams | Faran Tahir | Iron Man 3 | Star Trek

Friday, July 31

• Jon Favreau Talks Iron Man 2 and the Future of Iron Man

  Jon Favreau had a lot to reveal about Iron Man 2 at the San Diego Comic-Con, and not just the inclusion of War Machine. Favreau told MTV that the sequel is not simply a prelude to The Avengers.

  We're working towards Avengers, but by the same token we want to resolve this film and make [Iron Man 2] play on its own. It's not a serial. It's a self-contained film. It's not building towards a cliffhanger that's the next movie. It's about wrapping up our story and making it a complete tale.

  Favreau has confirmed that Iron Man 3 is in the works, and says the third movie may bring out a villain that would make Iron Man comic book fans very happy:

  We're not feeling any pressure right now to rush to the whole Mandarin through-line. It's still intact. We're consistent with it. We know where it's going but I think audiences are pretty sophisticated.

  Faran Tahir, who played a terrorist leader in Iron Man, has already said he might return for Iron Man 3 as either arch nemesis Mandarin or a "conduit" for the villain. Considering Favreau thinks the theme of the Iron Man movies is "an arms race," that makes Mandarin, and Tahir, a strong possibility for Iron Man 3.

  For now, the villain is Mickey Rourke. Or Rourke and Sam Rockwell. Or Scarlett Johansson and Rourke and Rockwell. But definitely Rourke, who Favreau says will get a good amount of screen time:

  With Mickey Rourke [as Whiplash], we definitely did want to have an origin story. We wanted that origin story to shadow and mirror Tony because he's introduced this technology into the world and how does that affect the world?

  With Mickey, I didn't want to just have two guys in robot suits hitting each other again. I wanted to have a different type of villain that used the same technology, existed within the same framework and rules of our world, but that was going to present not just a challenge physically but also in how dark he was; how he's related to and how his fate and Tony's fate are connected.

  Should Favreau move on to direct Iron Man 3 or The Avengers or both, they may take on a new look. Favreau claims to love the 3-D or IMAX formats and was even trying to convince Marvel to let him shoot Iron Man 2 in 3-D.

  
  

  Posted 07/31/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Jon Favreau | Faran Tahir | Iron Man 2 | Iron Man 3

Sunday, April 26

• Terrence Howard Finally Discusses Iron Man 2 Firing and other Iron Man News

  When Iron Man actor Terrence Howard was surprisingly replaced by Don Cheadle for Iron Man 2, money was rumored to be the problem. With Iron Man 2 already shooting, Howard spoke with Parade about what really happened:

  Marvel made a choice, and it was a very, very bad choice. They didn't keep their word. They didn't honor my contract. They produced a great bounty with the first one but they put it all in the storehouse and you were not allowed in. They did the same thing with Gwyneth Paltrow, from what I've been told. They did it with almost everyone except Robert Downey [Jr.]. One of the things that actors need to learn to do is always stick together, one for all and all for one.

  Howard has also seen the script for Iron Man 2 but won't elaborate:

  I've seen the script, I know what's going to happen, but I'm not revealing anything. I believe in karma. When someone does something wrong, you don't have to get them back. Everything right will return the favor for you.

  Perhaps karma will have Howard replace Cheadle for Iron Man 3 where Mandarin is rumored to be the villain, perhaps played by Iron Man actor Faran Tahir. Tahir won't be in Iron Man 2, but Clark Gregg (returning as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson) and Kate Mara (in an unknown role) will be, having been recently added to the cast.

  
  
  Next Showing: Iron Man 2 opens May 7, 2010

  Posted 04/26/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Gwyneth Paltrow | Kate Mara | Terrence Howard | Faran Tahir | Clark Gregg | Robert Downey Jr. | Iron Man 2 | Iron Man 3 | Iron Man