Iron Man 3 Ben Kingsley is The Mandarin!

[JackMercy]

Yeah, but the thing is China is huge market and the Chinese helped fund this film, so the film makers are not going to want to insult them with a yellow peril villain.

It's very likely that one of the conditions for gaining a Chinese co-production credit on IM3 was/is indeed that 'The Mandarin' character be cast "more ambiguous." Kingsley fits the bill. [It also may have been a compromise for keeping Mr. Black!]

Also, according to Black, none of the first unit filmed in China. Maybe some plate shots while he's sipping a drink by his poolside, as he exclaimed...


By the way...what is "closer to the look"...?
[Many East Asians would lambast that comment]


Hollywood got into similar issues casting numerous Chinese/Hong Kong actors for the Japanese-themed Memoirs of a Geisha.


And what is "ethnically correct" these days...?

[See Cloud Atlas this Friday...]

 

[cherokeesam]

I have a feeling Mandarin will be an extradited American in this.

What with the American-ish accent and the Captain America tattoo on his neck.

I said in another thread that Mandarin appears to be Fox News' antichrist ---- an anarchist terrorist from the Middle East who hates America and loves China ---- but let's take it a step farther and make him an "American Taliban" expatriate liberal who got a college degree from an Ivy League university. Limbaugh would have a cow. ("Mandarin" probably voted for Obama, too)

 

[Robin91939]

I LOVED the voice of The Mandarin. Totally not what I was expecting from Ben Kingsley. Bellowing and powerful. And thankfully, ethnically ambiguous.

-R

 

[Dark Raven]

It's very likely that one of the conditions for gaining a Chinese co-production credit on IM3 was/is indeed that 'The Mandarin' character be cast "more ambiguous." Kingsley fits the bill. [It also may have been a compromise for keeping Mr. Black!]

Also, according to Black, none of the first unit filmed in China. Maybe some plate shots while he's sipping a drink by his poolside, as he exclaimed...


By the way...what is "closer to the look"...?
[Many East Asians would lambast that comment]


Hollywood got into similar issues casting numerous Chinese/Hong Kong actors for the Japanese-themed Memoirs of a Geisha.


And what is "ethnically correct" these days...?

[See Cloud Atlas this Friday...]

Not me.

 

[DJ Kornphlake]

You're not everyone though.

 

[terry78]

I like the voice, it's vague enough that you can't really place where he's from exactly. There are a lot of non-Americans that have slightly flat sounding accents depending on how they grew up.

 

[Dwarf Slayer]

I know Marvel probably couldn't do a Chinese Mandarin because IM3 is a co-Chinese production, but I really wish they would have. After all, how many roles are there for Asians in these big Hollywood movies that aren't focused solely on martial arts? This whole thing reminds me of Captain America's multi-ethnic squad and lack of Nazis. While it may fit better today with our PC-obsessed society, it also insults the audience's intelligence.

For me, Ben Kingsley is distracting casting. The guy has such distinctive looks that I'm probably never going to not see Ben Kingsley through all of the make-up. I am also disappointed with how unkempt the Mandarin looks. That's not really how I pictured the character. I'm sure Kingsley will do an great job with the role. That said, I am disappointed with how the character looks though.

We'll see how I feel after I've actually watched the movie though.

 

[Moridin]

I have a feeling Mandarin will be an extradited American in this.

What with the American-ish accent and the Captain America tattoo on his neck.

Feige explains it:

"Kingsley is not, of course, Chinese, but Feige says they wanted to blur the background of this version of The Mandarin. “It’s less about his specific ethnicity than the symbolism of various cultures and iconography that he perverts for his own end,” Feige says. From his samurai hair, to his royal robe, to his bin Laden-esque beard, and the AK-47 he keeps at his side, Kingsley’s interpretation is a hodgepodge of various warrior motifs."
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/10/22/iron-man-3-the-mandarin-first-look/

So I take it he sees Cap as a great warrior and wants to incorporate some of that symbolism into himself/his image.
Personally I really like that idea.

 

[cherokeesam]

Feige explains it:

"Kingsley is not, of course, Chinese, but Feige says they wanted to blur the background of this version of The Mandarin. “It’s less about his specific ethnicity than the symbolism of various cultures and iconography that he perverts for his own end,” Feige says. From his samurai hair, to his royal robe, to his bin Laden-esque beard, and the AK-47 he keeps at his side, Kingsley’s interpretation is a hodgepodge of various warrior motifs."
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/10/22/iron-man-3-the-mandarin-first-look/

So I take it he sees Cap as a great warrior and wants to incorporate some of that symbolism into himself/his image.
Personally I really like that idea.

I like that idea, too; only problem is, that anarchy "A." If he got the tat to pay homage to Cap, looks like he would've used the actual symbol, and had the star in the center. Instead, he deliberately puts the universal symbol for anarchy there. Seems more of a dig than a totem.

 

[Hyde]

Feige explains it:

"Kingsley is not, of course, Chinese, but Feige says they wanted to blur the background of this version of The Mandarin. “It’s less about his specific ethnicity than the symbolism of various cultures and iconography that he perverts for his own end,” Feige says. From his samurai hair, to his royal robe, to his bin Laden-esque beard, and the AK-47 he keeps at his side, Kingsley’s interpretation is a hodgepodge of various warrior motifs."
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/10/22/iron-man-3-the-mandarin-first-look/

So I take it he sees Cap as a great warrior and wants to incorporate some of that symbolism into himself/his image.
Personally I really like that idea.

Thanks

That sounds great and will add more layers to his character (I wanted a similar approach to Bane in TDKR). Adds more credence to the 'A stands for Anarchy' theory.

 

[Doc Ock]

I like the voice, it's vague enough that you can't really place where he's from exactly. There are a lot of non-Americans that have slightly flat sounding accents depending on how they grew up.

Yeah I quite love the voice! Can't wait to hear more of it.

 

[Destructus86]

I LOVED the voice of The Mandarin. Totally not what I was expecting from Ben Kingsley. Bellowing and powerful. And thankfully, ethnically ambiguous.

-R

I can totally see him giving an epic speech in the film.

 

[Drummerdude7]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how MS tackles the Mandarin...considering Favreau seemed iffy on how he would be implemented, despite the references.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how MS tackles the Mandarin...considering Favreau seemed iffy on how he would be implemented, despite the references.

MS seems to have moved the character from a racist caricature of an East Asian warlord into something of an ambiguous terrorist with Asian connections that should help move him into the modern day. I was pleasantly surprised that they went with non-Asian associated speech pattern for him instead of forcing some type of horrible Asian accent.

 

[gkokujin]

my guess is this Mandarin is more monk/arab than Chinese Lo Pan style.

I'm certain we can adjust, its the initial shock that's hard to get over.

plus HE'S GOT TEN RINGS!!!

 

[Tony Stark]

Chinese Lo Pan style:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xiAbDkXDgg

 

[JB-the-Hunter]

I know Marvel probably couldn't do a Chinese Mandarin because IM3 is a co-Chinese production, but I really wish they would have. After all, how many roles are there for Asians in these big Hollywood movies that aren't focused solely on martial arts?

Chen-Lu, who isn't a mascot for yellow peril like the mandarin.

This whole thing reminds me of Captain America's multi-ethnic squad and lack of Nazis. While it may fit better today with our PC-obsessed society, it also insults the audience's intelligence.

Captain America had a multi-ethnic squad because they were their own group put together by Cap himself from a bunch of war prisoners. If your intelligence was insulted then you need to watch the movie again with a different mindset. Also The reason HYDRA was used wasn't for PC reasons, it was to give Cap a threat to face that a normal human couldn't face. Captain America vs. Nazis? Meh. Captain America vs. secret super advanced Nazis? Now we're talkin'.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

That thing looks more racist than if they had actually just cast a Chinese guy.

 

[Raiden]

Here's a gif I made for The Mandarin:

Spoiler

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

I mean he seems to be a mish-mash of a bunch of cultures we "don't like". I'm not so opposed to the Kingsley cast, but they seem to add Chinese or "Oriental" appearance. He just comes off as some guy it a culturally insensitive Halloween costume. I don't see, why, outside of the rings, why they didn't completely overhaul the character. Now he truly is a collage of stereotypes.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

That thing looks more racist than if they had actually just cast a Chinese guy.

He does look like a bit of a stereotype, but his voice perfect.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

He does look like a bit of a stereotype, but his voice perfect.

I think we can all agree the voice was quite menacing. I'm just baffled by the costume. True, he's no longer Fu Manchu, now he's angry West Asian terrorist man. Like the Question said it traded one stereotype for another.

It's not like they had to associate his Chinese-ness with his villainy either. He could've just been a Chinese guy that most everyone thinks is a d-bag.

 

[JerseyJoker]

I wonder though, since we only seen one image, has the Mandarin been in hiding or something. Cause i wouldn't be surprised if that first image of him is maybe his first appearance and if he becomes more publicly known in the film, he starts to trim down his beard and hair and becomes more in image of the comic?

Just spit balling ideas out.

 

[Radford]

I like everything about Mandarin so far. The look. The voice. The actor. Ben Kingsley is one of the top talents of our time.


As for him not being strictly East Asian, get over it. This movie takes place in modern times. The Chinese Mandarin was created in an entirely different political climate. Art evolves with culture, that's life.

 

[mkilban2]

I think he looks more along the lines of the Arabic-y type characters we saw w/ Tony in the first film which makes more sense seeing that he's the leader of their organization.