Even with The Avengers not out just yet, Marvel Studios is releasing news on the third Iron Man movie. Sir Ben Kingsley will join the cast as the antagonist towards Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.

Initially any fan of Iron Man would think Kingsley would portray the villain Mandarin, but it isn’t the case. Sure, under Jon Favreau’s direction it would practically be a given, but writer and director Shane Black is taking things in a different direction.

Black intends to scale Iron Man 3 down and bring espionage to the forefront. And the plot? It will take influence from the six-issue Extremis comic that Warren Ellis wrote; which deals heavily on nanotechnology.The story arc also includes the super-soldier serum, which would give a smooth transition from The Avengers due to Captain America alive and kicking in the present time.

So now the only question on Kingsley is just who is he going to play. Nevertheless, he’s an incredible actor who will certainly bring a lot to the table.

[Variety]