Iron Man Bridges is The Mandarin & Favreau is Happy Hogan.

[TheVileOne]

Bridges could be Morgan Stark you know.

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ I already stated that and Morgan could also be the Mandarin. It could be a dual role. I guess we'll find out soon enough. LOL

 

[emi]

@Advanced Dark: your reasoning make sense and since yesterday I think that you could be right you know, maybe the Mandarin has been reconceptualized like an urban myth a-la Usual Suspect...

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ I think so. The only other two scenerios that are possible:

1) They casted someone without revealing it to us.
2) Kevin Feige misspoke.

 

[Stripesy Strip]

Bridges is Scott Lang.

 

[lordofthenerds]

Maybe Fiege just made a mistake. Until someone from the crew flat out says that Bridges is playing Mandarin, I'm not going to believe it.

 

[fletch1076]

I really think Bridges (stane)character is going to harness the power of the Manderian, an ancient spirit. That's the best I can think of.

 

[fletch1076]

I like bridges as much as the next guy, by way do I keep invisioning a Nick (absorbiing/David Banner) Notle type situation. Must be the dude's hair.

 

[Retroman]

The thread title is misleading AD.

And at least Liam bears a resemblance to Ra's Al Ghul.

Indeed....

My knowledge of Iron Man is not the greatest but from what i've seen of Mandarin i don't think Bridges would be the ideal choice to play him.You're telling me Favreau couldn't find a a great asian actor to play this role?Assuming that Bridges is playing that role (Which is not certain).

Thats one thing from the comics that i feel doesn't need to be altered just for the sake of the movie. Will the movie audience buy that a blue-eye caucasian american is playing someone called Mandarin? I know that Bridges is a great actor, but......

 

[fletch1076]

I agree that he has to be asian. I don't want to see the evil bus type again either. Why can't some warlord who is the one who captures stark and has him create the rings.

 

[fletch1076]

Damnit cast Lopan

 

[FlawlessVictory]

Indeed....

Really cool pics Retroman!

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ Lopan. LOL Now I gotta go watch BTILC again.

 

[thegameq]

I dunno, this whole thing seems off to me. Bridges as Mandarin is just a little too out there to swallow without an explanation.

Yeah it does, doesn't it. It just doesn't make sense..unless of course they really are going the Batman Begins route. Still the whole Stane, Mandarin angle, if it is so, is just plain weird.

 

[thegameq]

Damnit cast Lopan

LOL!!

 

[Dr. Doolally]

Just wondering what the general opinion is, if it's true, of this racial shifting?

Can white heroes only fight white villians? Are there no evil people in China (hhhhmm, human rights record......)? If Iron Man has to fight say, Moses Magnum, does he have to step back and let War Machine take over?

Like what Jon's been doing so far, btw, this all seems a little odd though.

 

[Chris B]

I think Bridges is playing Howard Stark. Him playing the Mandarin is just too far fetched, and to a lesser extent, the Obadiah Stane as well. The description of his role could easily be applied to Tony Stark's dad.

 

[Chris B]

Just go through the annouced ensemble and the only unknowns are who's playing Mandarin and who's playing Happy. We know Bridges is not playing Happy but apparently the role is cast. The role is big enough to warrant Favreau starting a thread "happy thoughts" and most people recommended him. I think it's safe to say Favreau is Happy. Now...Mandarin is left and only one actor remains. Bridges who's role is a mystery while the other's are not. Nobody suggested he's an evil business tycoon either. He could be Stark Senior...but then again who's the Mandarin. Is the Mandarin a secret identity of one of the other cast members? Then who? it keeps pointing to Bridges unless Feigie misspoke or was being deceptive. If he is the Mandarin it'll probably have a group of people up in arms until they see the movie. Favreau said in the beginning he's not going to be the same as in the comics and Mandarin could be just a code word for the villain in a Bondish kinda way.

You're forgetting Obadiah Stane.

 

[Advanced Dark]

No I haven't. I mentioned him above but Mandarin is the main character missing. Again I"m going off of Feige's comments and suggested alternate possibilities that seem less likely.

 

[ultimatefan]

I dunno, the character description doesn´t sound like Mandarin at all, and why even give him such a remarkably oriental name when the character isn´t Asian? Mandarin can still be Asian and not look like a Fu Manchu type, now only WASPs can be bad guys?

 

[Advanced Dark]

It's a code name which is my guess. Didn't the first Rush Hour do something similar??? Or was it Kiss of Death???

 

[X Knight]

yah.....I think it was the 1st Rush Hour.....where the main villain had a Chinese name ( Juntao?? i think )......everyone thought the bad guy was Chinese.....but it turned out to be a white guy running the show.

i could see them doing something similar in Iron Man, but I REALLY hope they don't go that route.

i mean, in Daredevil, we got Michael Clark Duncan playing the Kingpin. now, there could be an argument there that the Kingpin character has a unique build, and Duncan fit that build.

But, in Iron Man, there is NO reason why they could not get an asian actor to portray a perfectly formidable asian villain.

I think back to the Shadow movie with Alec Baldwin. his adversary was an asian villian who had a business / corporate front yet weilded tremendous psychic / mystical power. Now, i'm NOT saying they should exactly that route, but it is an example of an asian businessman who has a mysterious aspect to the character...

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ I imagine if they go the route I'm thinking they're not hiring an Asian because it doesn't fit the script they have. That's all. The only way I'm wrong is if Feige is wrong (no way in hell), or if someone has been cast and they're gonna keep it secret. If the major roles are filled then who else is Mandarin???

 

[X Knight]

i understand your point, advanced.

I'm just saying that if they did this it would IMMEDIATELY kill all interest I have in the movie ( and I've gotten unusually enthused about this movie in just the last few weeks ).

i know that it worked out ok in Begins with Ra's.....but Ra's always struck me as someone who is ethnically ambiguous.

and, that doesn't mean I want to see it again in IM. I mean, in our current trend of Comic Book movies, have we had an asian villain? I don't think so. And, now we have the perfect opportunity to portray a formidable, kick a** asian villain who has a long history with the title character.

I mean, it would be like making Lex Luthor black, or Blade white, or Peter Parker chinese, or Robin black.

imagine if they made a Black Panther movie and made BP WHITE??!!! that certainly wouldn't stand with fans.

i also say this because i am half-chinese myself, and I would LOVE to see a formidable CHINESE ( or at least ASIAN ) villain acted by a respectable CHINESE ( or at least ASIAN ) actor.....

 

[Advanced Dark]

In Favreau we Trust.