Iron Man 3: Filming Officially Underway in North Carolina

Iron Man 3 coverage has been through the proverbial roof on just about every entertainment-oriented site on the planet, thanks in part to the smashing success of “The Avengers”, which, according to Box Office Mojo, has currently raked in approximately $1,355,237,000 worldwide. Although we may have to wait a while before that particular endeavor enjoys a sequel, the suits over at Marvel are wasting absolutely no time in getting Iron Man’s latest adventure on the big screen. In fact, it’s already scheduled for release on May 3rd, 2013.

Directed by “Lethal Weapon” scribe Shane Black — who also delivered the immensely underrated action/comedy “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” back in 2005 — “Iron Man 3” finds Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) going up against the villain Mandarin, who will be portrayed by none other than veteran actor Ben Kingsley. Also on-board for the third installment are Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Guy Pearce, Jon Favreau, Don Cheadle, and James Badge Dale. Also rumored to be joining the cast is Chinese actor Andy Lau, better known to American audiences as Inspector Lau Kin Ming from the 2002 thriller “Infernal Affairs”.

In order to keep everyone talking about the upcoming production, Marvel has unleashed a brand new photo from the set of the flick. In addition to a shiny row of robotic armor, you’ll also get the opportunity to gaze lovingly at the back of Robert Downey Jr.’s head. I’m assuming that’s Robert Downey Jr., so don’t hold me to that. It may not be much to look at, but beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose.

How are Twitter users reacting to the release of the aforementioned image? You can sample their thoughts on the subject by venturing to the space below.