Iron Man 3 (2013)

Production & Release

 * Following a fallout with Paramount Pictures after the success of Iron Man 2, the Walt Disney Company negotiated with Marvel Studios for the distribution rights to Iron Man 3, which took place on October 18th, 2010. Disney paid $115 million to Paramount for the distribution rights.


 * Production on Iron Man 3 began in April, 2012. Principal filming began on May 23rd, 2012. Reshoots began on July 19th, 2012, with additional sequences being filmed on December 17th, 2012 through January 23rd, 2013.


 * The majority of the film was shot in North Carolina, with scenes from Tony Stark's beach house from Malibu, California and other California locales such as Santa Clara. Other scenes were filmed in Miami, Florida.


 * Iron Man 3 premiered in London on April 18th, 2013.


 * Iron Man 3 grossed $174,144,585 over it's opening weekend in the United States. It grossed $72,525,615 during it's second weekend ending on May 12th. On the week of May 19th, it grossed $35,770,094 and on the week of May 26th, it grossed $19,324,592. On the weekend of June 16th, 2013 it grossed $2,956,855, which is the same weekend that the Superman reboot Man of Steel was released.


 * Iron Man 3 is the fifth-highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing 2013 film, the second-highest-grossing film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after The Avengers.

Cast & Crew

 * This is Shane Black's second film as a director and his first film in the superhero fantasy genre. He previously directed 2005 noir comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which also starred Robert Downey, Jr. His first work as a screenwriter was on the 1987 action movie Lethal Weapon, directed by Superman director Richard Donner.


 * This movie marks the feature film debut for screenwriter Drew Pearce (no relation to actor Guy Pearce). Prior to this film, he worked on various comedy projects such as Lip Service and No Heroics.


 * As with nearly all Marvel Studios productions, Iron Man 3 includes a cameo appearance by Marvel Comics forefather, Stan Lee. In this film Stan plays a judge at a beauty pageant. In the previous films, Lee played a pastiche of a famous figure such as Hugh Hefner in the first Iron Man and Larry King in Iron Man 2''.


 * This film marks the fifth appearance of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark. In addition to the first two films, he also played Tony Stark in Incredible Hulk and The Avengers in 2012.


 * This film marks the fourth appearance of Gwyneth Paltrow in the role of Pepper Potts. In addition to the first two films, she also appeared in The Avengers.

Notes & Trivia

 * The plot of this film is loosely based on the "Extremis" storyline from issues #1-6 of Iron Man, Volume 4.


 * Iron Man 3 is the first major comic book movie released in 2013. Other such films released the same year include Man of Steel, The Wolverine, Thor: The Dark World and Kick-Ass 2''.


 * The movie contains an after-credits bonus scene in which the story of the film is revealed to be told in flashback by Tony Stark to Bruce Banner as if he were a patient speaking to a psychiatrist. Banner even informs Tony, "I'm not that kind of doctor", before admitting that he had fallen asleep near the beginning of Tony's narrative.


 * The comic book version of Aldrich Killian had a very minor role in the original development of Extremis. He made a single appearance in Iron Man, Volume 4 #2 and was killed off on page two.


 * Maya Hanson is based on a canonical Marvel Universe character who first appeared in Iron Man, Volume 4 #1. In the comics, it was May who invented Extremis, not Aldrich Killian.


 * The character of President Ellis is named for author Warren Ellis who wrote the original "Extremis" storyline.


 * The conference that Tony Stark attends in the beginning of the film is the same one referenced by Yinsen in the first Iron Man film in which he reveals that Tony and he had met once before.


 * The character of Ellen Brandt, while based on an actual Marvel Universe character, is actually tied in with the origin of the Man-Thing and has no connection to Iron Man.


 * The character of Bambi Arbogast makes an off-panel cameo appearance in this film. In Iron Man 2 she was played by actress Margy Moore.

Recommendations

 * Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)
 * Avengers (2012)
 * Captain America (2011)
 * Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
 * Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)


 * Incredible Hulk (2008)
 * Iron Man (2008)
 * Iron Man 2 (2010)
 * Thor (2011)
 * Thor: The Dark World (2013)