Favreau announces Mandarin for Iron Man sequel

John Favreau, during a press junket for the Iron Man DVD release, talked about the upcoming sequels to the summer smash. The Mandarin is a bad ass in the Iron Man storyline, and I can't wait to see how Favreau fleshes him out for the big screen. JF also mentions a greater roll for The War Machine suit donned by Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, and hopefully a continued role for Terrence Howard. I got this from MTV's Splash Page

Favreau confirmed that Iron Man’s longtime nemesis, The Mandarin, will be a major villain in the franchise, though the character’s magic-based rings and the abilities they provided would likely need some tweaks to fit comfortably in the high-tech world established by the first film. He also hinted that Mandarin might not appear on-screen until the third film, in order to preserve some of the mystery and threat surrounding the Asian crime lord.

On the rumor front, Favreau mentioned that the current political climate could play a role in the the plot of future films, prompting various outlets to buzz about a potential introduction of Iron Man’s counterpart from Russia, The Crimson Dynamo.

With the success of comic book adaptations like the X-Men, Batman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man, there is no excuse for putting out a crappy hero flick. Studios are finally realizing that you can't just throw anybody into a leather suit and get a comic geeks hard earned cash. I hope these studios that are buying up rights to comic books and video games see that they may have to actually do some work. Gone are the days of "C" list directors, actors you've never heard of, shitty blue screen, stop-motion, and wire work effects. Sphere: Related Content