Official Press Release
Following in the footsteps of the record-breaking Marvel
Studios release “Marvel’s The Avengers,” production on the highly anticipated
film “Iron Man 3,” directed by Shane Black, has commenced in Wilmington, North
Carolina. The production schedule will also include locations in
Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina; Miami, Florida; and China.
Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first
published in 1963, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man,”
“Marvel’s The Avengers”) as the iconic super hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man
along with Gwyneth Paltrow (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,”) as Pepper Potts, Don
Cheadle (“Iron Man 2”) as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,”
“Iron Man 2”) as Happy Hogan. Set for release in the U.S. on May 3, 2013,
Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” marks the second feature to be fully owned, marketed and
distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.
“Iron Man 3” continues the epic, big-screen adventures of
the world’s favorite billionaire inventor/super hero, Tony Stark aka “Iron
Man.” Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive
producers on the project include Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan
Lee, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard and Dan Mintz.
The creative production team on the film includes
two-time Oscar®-winning director of photography John Toll, ASC (“Braveheart,”
“Legends of the Fall”), production designer Bill Brzeski (“The Hangover,” “Due
Date”), editors Jeffrey Ford, A.C.E. (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Captain
America: The First Avenger”) and Peter S. Elliot (“Fantastic 4: Rise of the
Silver Surfer”), and costume designer Louise Frogley (“Quantum of Solace,”
“Contagion”).
Marvel Studios most recently produced the critically
acclaimed “Marvel’s The Avengers,” which set the all-time, domestic three-day
weekend box office record at $207.4 million. The film, which is currently in
release, continues to shatter box office records and is The Walt Disney
Studios’ highest-grossing global and domestic release of all time and marks the
studios’ fifth film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.
In the summer of 2011, Marvel successfully launched two
new franchises with “Thor,” starring Chris Hemsworth, and “Captain America: The
First Avenger,” starring Chris Evans. Both films opened #1 at the box office
and have grossed over $800 million worldwide combined. In 2010 “Iron Man 2,”
starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson
and Mickey Rourke, took the #1 spot in its first weekend with a domestic box
office gross of $128.1 million.
In the summer of 2008, Marvel produced the summer
blockbuster movies “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.” “Iron Man,” in which Robert Downey, Jr.
originally dons the super hero’s powerful armor and stars alongside co-stars
Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, was released May 2, 2008,
and was an immediate box office success.
Garnering the number one position for two weeks in a row, the film
brought in over $100 million in its opening weekend. On June 13, 2008, Marvel
released “The Incredible Hulk,” marking its second number one opener of that
summer.