Mandarin Casting/Discussion Thread

[Iron_Stark]

I know this is a few years away but Jon Favreau pretty much confirmed Mandarin for the third.

How should he look? A business man like the Knaufs, The Asian garb like Marvel Ultimate Alliance game? An armored suit like he wore in IM vol. issue #242 or should he be all green like the cartoon.

Who should play him?

Thoughts?

some of Mandarins incarnations

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[Dark Raven]

No armored look please. We need something visually different from Iron Man, and to show that his power is in his rings, not from a suit. I don't want a business man in a suit either. He needs something regal. Maybe a traditional Chinese dress with a Mandarin collar.

Candidates could be:

1. Ken Wanatabe



2. Bruce Locke:



3. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa




Don't make him Raza, as played by Faran Tahir, who seems to be the leader of the Ten Rings (hopefully he's not the actual leader but more of a field marshall). I don't want the Mandarin to be a Middle Eastern terrorist. The Mandarin needs to be Asian. I'd like him with long hair too, but he doesn't necessarily need the Fu Manchu mustache and goatee. In the above picture, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa looks menacing enough without one. Whatever happens, the Mandarin should be an older actor to bring some gravitas to the role, and shouldn't be a younger actor like Sam Rockwell where they made Hammer younger than his comic book counterpart. He should also be very articulate and able to speak English well. The Mandarin should seem like he could be the head of a global organisation whom everyone fears. John Lone and Collin Chou would seem a bit of a joke. They're more henchman material.

I suppose Chow Yun Fat could bring some gravitas, but he doesn't really seem like Mandarin material at first.

[MichaelChen]

I prefer him in a business suit, with maybe a bit too much flash even apart from the rings. His look should make you think of a goodfella thug, or a pimp trying to look classy but not quite pulling it off.

The Mandarin is half-Mongol/half-British, so a mixed race actor is prefered, though a pure member of either race who can pass for mixed will do in a pinch. Whatever happened to the guy who played the villain in the first Crow movie? I think he's mixed. If he's not, he can pass for mixed.

[louiebling$]

Andy Lau hands down is the best canidate

[NinjaTurtleFan]

1. Hiroyuki Sanada



2. Colin Chou



3. Tony Leung



4. Donnie Yen



I do like Ken Watanabe and Cary-Hiroyuki- Tagawa as potential candidates.

I'd love for someone to start doing "Iron Man 3" manips with all the different actors being chosen/discussed.

[louiebling$]

Honestly I think anyone of Japanese decent should stay far way from this role... he is supposed be mandarin.

[MichaelChen]

He's supposed to be half ethnic Mongol/half British, but I have yet to see anyone of mixed race.

[BlueLightning]

In the second picture he sure looks like The Shredder. Just a thought.

[terry78]

The dude from Lost. Not Daniel Dae Kim and the other sarcastic asian dude, but the one that kidnapped Sayid.

[SurfDUI]

Bet $10 It will be Cho Yun Fat.(sp)

The Asian actor in American movies pool is pretty small, if it's not to much to ask, what have soma these guys been in. I recognize 'Shang Tsung'(sp) and dude from whatchacalit..

What about Sonny Cheeba!

[Chris B]

In regards to the rings, I don't really care how they explain them as long as he still has them. I also think they should go for the businessman look. When it comes to casting, I'd pick Chow Yun Fat. He may be an unoriginal choice but he crossed off the right boxes like age (I think the Mandarin should be older than Stark), gravitas/screen presence, and is ethnic Chinese as a bonus.

[Gabe99]

From Hero Complex 09/12/2008:
Favreau (kind of) confirms Mandarin in 'Iron Man' sequel(s)


Iron Man 2 and 3 spoilers from IESB.net 12 September 2008:
COMPLETE Transcript of Jon Favreau on IRON MAN!

Q:
You don't have The Mandarin in "Iron Man" but you referenced him with the Ten Rings, and so you can get that fantastical stuff in there with that character if you wanted it, right?

Favreau:
It is. The Mandarin is such a tricky character for us because everywhere you turn it's a minefield. So we get into the mystical Asian dark arts and inter-dimensional travel and all the rings that do the different things and psychic abilities and stuff and it's like, "That could be cool. Maybe it's cool. Maybe if we make it really authentic." Then you see the trailer for "The Mummy" movie and it's like they've got The Manderin AND Fing Fang Foom in there! And they shot in China and it's like as authentic as you're ever going to get. It's like, "Ooh, I don't know if that fits our film." It was great for "The Mummy," though. So where do you go with it? What are your rules and how do you stay consistent with them? What happens is that people get desperate as they're looking for inspiration to up the ante and so you start breaking your own rules, and that's when the movies start to lose their identity.

From io9 Dec 22, 2008:
Is The New Sulu Also Iron Man's Costume Jewelry-Loving Arch Foe?

Originally Posted by Charlie Jane Anders

Entertainment Weekly is reporting Cho will play the Mandarin, the Asian arch-villain (with the unfortunate name) who sports a ring on each finger.

Also, supposedly Tommy Chong will play the Mandarin's father, who claims to be the real genius behind the awesome weapons Tony's father invented.

From MTV 04/14/09:
'Iron Man' Villain Faran Tahir Ponders 'Iron Man 3’ Return... As The Mandarin?

[SurfDUI]

This was the best look of the Mandarin, and he wasn't even dealing with Iron Man

[terry78]

I figure Favs is going to make him somewhat of a businessman. Maybe like a philanthropist into ancient Chinese artifacts and culture, kinda eccentric. I know he prefers to do **** in an ironic factor, turning the nations of the world's weapons against them.

[Keyser Soze]

I think Favreau should read Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Haunted, and draw heavily on that for his interpretation of The Mandarin.

From the visuals (the long white hair and goatee, the smart business suit as opposed to robes) to his characterisation (his twisted belief that he is fighting for the greater good and a better world) to his cover as head of shady corporation Prometheus Global, the Knaufs just nailed the character, and made him feel relevant and compelling. That version of the character, or something similar to it, is one I could easily see translating to the screen.

[chamber-music]

As long as he doesn't look like fu manchu or David Lo Pan like he does in some of the comics I'm happy.

Andy Lau would be my top pick. His agreat actor one of the biggest actors in china/hong kong and has had some crossover success with House Of Flying Daggers. He speaks fluent English as well.

Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine, Lost, Rush Hour 3) would be good too.

Having Ken Wanatabe would be like Ras 2.0 as he played a silmilar character in Batman Begins.

[Keyser Soze]

As a big fan of Infernal Affairs, I would love to see Andy Lau or Tony Leung as The Mandarin, so long as they can speak fluent English. Probably moreso Andy Lau, as I think he has the cheekbones for it - give him the beard and the long hair and he could really nail the look.

My only concern is that Marvel won't want to break the pattern of getting big names - Jeff Bridges, Mickey Rourke - to play the villains in the Iron Man movies. And then they cast, like, Jet Li or Jackie Chan in the role.

[chamber-music]

A movie like this could be western auidence breakthrough for Lau and he wouldn't demand a whole lot of cash either.

Iron Man 3 by now is a big enough franchise to stand on its own with or without extra star name castings.

[louiebling$]

Man I love the Lau Love

[SurfDUI]

Spoiled For size.
He's going to need a new wall street power suit, dress him like a Bond villian

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Originally Posted by Keyser Soze

As a big fan of Infernal Affairs, I would love to see Andy Lau or Tony Leung as The Mandarin,

Infernal Affairs or Internal Affairs? The one from the 80's? I hate I don't know soma these guys from the names to the roles. Chow Yun is essentially Morgan Freeman, so I feel its his to lose.

Originally Posted by chamber-music

As long as he doesn't look like fu manchu or David Lo Pan like he does in some of the comics I'm happy.

Some of that old stuff was halfracistover the top ****, the further the better. There must be a nod to it in a flashback sequence tho, the college days lol. Gotta keep the 'stach.

[Danalys]

infernal affairs is a movie from hong kong that was remade in america as the departed. which changed it's setting and made it not as good.

i think the manderin can have both a business man look and a traditional chinese look for different scenes.

i was also thinking that his rings' jewels could look somewhat like even more miniaturized arc reactors glowing in different colours. this would give them a powerful look in the scope of what has been shown to be powerful in the ironman movie universe.

[Steve Holt]

i vote for Sanada, i don't care that he's Japanese. I didn't care that an American played a Russian spy or that a Welshmen played Batman. Nationality is not Ethnicity.
As long as they're a good actor.
Lau or Leung i also wouldn't be against.

I speak as a Half asian/ Half caucasian.

Oh and it won't be Jet Li, Chan or Fat. Marvel has been doing pretty well with casting as of late. Acting talent over recognition. Asia is full of great actors. Have faith.

off topic though, 10 years ago Russell Wong would have been the PERFECT Jimmy Woo

[Golgo-13]

I like Sanada as well. He was a complete badass in TLS.

[Silvermoth]

I would think it's awesome if Chariman Kaga was the Mandarin

[Mr. Earle]

Originally Posted by Night Raven

3. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

If they cast him, they MUST get him to say his famour line:



"Your soul is mine!"