Marvel to Shoot "Iron Man 3" in China

Disney and its Marvel Studios unit announced that it will co-produce Iron Man 3 in China with the DMG Group. Yes producing films in China is cheaper, but the real reason behind this announcement is that Disney and Marvel want a share of the growing Chinese market. China has a tough import quota on foreign films with typically fewer than 40 per year allowed in Chinese theaters. But for films that are chosen, exposure in Chinese theaters can provide a big boost to the bottom line. James Cameron’s Titanic 3D has already made twice as much ($88 million) in China as it has here, and last year’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon took in a solid $145 million in China, 18% of the film’s overseas earnings.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the DMG Group has excellent ties with the Chinese government run State Film Agency, connections that can help with production and with getting the final product into Chinese theaters. DMG will help Disney and Marvel “localize” the film so that its content resonates with Chinese audiences. For example Iron Man 3 will feature Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley in the role of the film's chief villain. Many observers speculated originally that Kingsley might play the notorious Iron Man villain, the Mandarin, but if that is the case, it likely won’t be the original “Cold War” version of the character who worked closely with China’s communist government as he battled Tony Stark.

If Kingsley does play the Mandarin, which appears less likely now (though not necessarily impossible), it will present the screenwriters with the problem of how to frame a Chinese villain in a movie about a western superhero that the studio is hoping will have a major appeal to Chinese audiences.

Ben Kingsley in "Iron Man 3"

Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley is in negotiations to play the role of the chief villain in Iron Man 3. Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Shane Black will direct the third Iron Man film, which will be in theaters on May 3rd, 2013. The fact that Marvel Studios can regularly land actors of Ben Kingsley’s caliber provides additional evidence (if any is needed) that the once despised genre of comic book movies can now attract top talent on both sides of the camera.

The Hollywood Reporter speculates that Kingsley might play the classic Iron Man villain, the Mandarin, but that character was created in 1963 during the height of the Cold War and before mainland China became a major market for Hollywood movies. If the Mandarin does appear in Iron Man 3, his character is likely to be modified in order to make him more acceptable to the increasingly important overseas audiences.