Iron Man 3 Villain Is One Sexy Beast

Ben Kingsley's baddie-duties in Iron Man 3 as scooped by Variety, doesn't imply a quality script by Drew Pearce and helmer Shane Black. Nor does it suggest we're in for an upgrade after the sighs heard run the world walking out of Iron Man 2 two years ago. Not at face value, it doesn't - though we're confident in the long overdue Kiss Kiss Bang Bang reunion of Black and Robert Downey Jr.

I only say this because of Kingsley himself. Great an actor he is, if you look at his filmography, there's the Schindler's Lists, Gandhis, Bugsys, Daves and it wasn't even a year ago he was wonderful in Hugo. He has plenty of accolades taking up space in his mansions too. But the stinkers, the "Take the money and run" gigs, outweigh the good. By a lot. So much so you wonder the last time, he sat down and took a good look at whatever script his agent told him he was doing next.

The real intrigue here is who he'll play. The trades say it ain't the Mandarin. All we know for sure is the threequel is based on Warren Ellis' Extremis story-arc, an item Latino Review broke last month, involving a virus originating from an ill-attempt to recreate Captain America's Super Solider Serum.

Don't know where that puts Kingsley though. Is he another Justin Hammer (a suit)? Or maybe another wacky-eccentric wearing armor twice the size at Tony's Mark VII? Both are plausible and Kingsley could play either well. Hoping it's all misdirection and he is in fact the Mandarin. At least that would offer us something different this time out. Even if it is "politically incorrect."