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

[Chris B]

^ 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???

I wouldn't put to much into Feige's comment of rounding off the main cast. I think that he probably meant that they were almost done with casting the main roles.

 

[Advanced Dark]

He made two different quotes and the only thing I can take from that is that the full ensemble (main cast) is complete. I guess we'll find out. Either way Jon is loving it. Honestly though why is Bridges character a mystery then??? If he was Stane why not just announce it. They're not annoucing it because he's the Mandarin. I'm tellin ya.

 

[Chris B]

I think that Bridges is playing Howard Stark. Maybe they remember how poorly received the idea of Howard Stark being the villain was and they don't want fans to come to the conclusion that that is still the case? But if Bridges is playing the Mandarin, then I hope that Favreau has a good explanation as to why because most Iron Man fans aren't just going to accept that.

 

[FlawlessVictory]

In Favreau we Trust.

Although he appears to be on the right track(barring Bridges being The Mandarin), Favreau has not earned this distinction yet.

In Nolan We Trust

I hope the best for this movie, but this Mandarin talk has me nervous.

 

[Majik1387]

Will they do something so similar to Batman begins? I strongly doubt it.

I hope not.
I liked BB but Iron Man could be more lighthearted.

 

[Katsuro]

He made two different quotes and the only thing I can take from that is that the full ensemble (main cast) is complete. I guess we'll find out. Either way Jon is loving it. Honestly though why is Bridges character a mystery then??? If he was Stane why not just announce it. They're not annoucing it because he's the Mandarin. I'm tellin ya.

Who the hell said his character was a mystery?!?! The casting announcment told us exactly who he plays. Read it again if you didn't notice.

He will portray a close business associate of Tony Stark. A confidant and longtime employee at defense contractor Stark Industries, Bridges' character plays a major role in shaping Tony Stark's life.

There it is. Done deal. So what if he's not a character from the comics, neither was Rachel Dawes.

This is probably the most ridiculous thread i've ever seen.

 

[fu manchu]

http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?...n=4DDEC6FC-D7EC-493D-8DB720268C83268911811643

Look at this thread in the Iron Man group. Favreau comments on the 1st page that the right "guess" (about Bridges) was made in this thread. There were several names thrown out but the only person who used the word "guess" was in regards to "the mandarin". Otherwise every other name was thrown out there. Jon is being funny. LOL The only guesses are above his post obviously.

Names mentioned:

Justin Hammer

Obadiah Stane

Edwin Jarvis

Howard Stark

The Mandarin

Again the only names where "guess" was used was Mandarin and actually Happy too but Favreau said Bridges is NOT playing Happy Hogan.

Of the following names mentioned above, I'm "guessing" he'll play Edwin Jarvis. Kinda more like how Micheal Caine portrayed Alfred in Batman Begins.


I would hate to see Bridges play .......... a FU MANCHU type villain.

 

[Advanced Dark]

That's the thing if Bridges is the Mandarin he wouldn't play a Fu Manchu type villain. It's be different. Think Usual Suspects. The pieces don't seem to fit (right now) any other way. Let's say you're right and he's playing Jarvis. Ok then who's the Mandarin? Jarvis? It doesn't jive for me that way. I'll bet Mandarin is more of a code name for the villain and everyone in the film will assume he's chinese or something and not realize he's right under their nose. Perhaps Mandarin will be Tony Starks' fathers secret.

 

[Advanced Dark]

Who the hell said his character was a mystery?!?! The casting announcment told us exactly who he plays. Read it again if you didn't notice.

He will portray a close business associate of Tony Stark. A confidant and longtime employee at defense contractor Stark Industries, Bridges' character plays a major role in shaping Tony Stark's life.

There it is. Done deal. So what if he's not a character from the comics, neither was Rachel Dawes.

This is probably the most ridiculous thread i've ever seen.

Exactly who it is? Really? What's his name then since we know exactly who he plays? Do you think that statement covers his entire character completely. Every other character has been announced by name. Mandarin is the only character NOT announced yet. Bridges is the actor who's been hired and we've not been told who he's playing. The above quote is true...but I think it's also deceptive. Who says a close confident in tony's life can't also be a villain? Keep your friends close...keep your enemies closer.

The only way I'm wrong is if they secretly casted someone else and haven't told us...or if Feige misspoke. Why not reveal who's playing the Mandarin??? They reveal who's playing the villain in most every other film. It's a secret because it's a suprise in the film. They're holding it back.

 

[fu manchu]

That's the thing if Bridges is the Mandarin he wouldn't play a Fu Manchu type villain. It's be different. Think Usual Suspects. The pieces don't seem to fit (right now) any other way. Let's say you're right and he's playing Jarvis.

Ok then who's the Mandarin? I don't think he has not been cast yet, it will probably be an unknown. It's not like there are going with the Brandon Routh type of casting with this movie.

Jarvis? Jeff Bridges, kinda like Alfred in Batman Begins.

It doesn't jive for me that way. I'll bet Mandarin is more of a code name for the villain and everyone in the film will assume he's chinese or something and not realize he's right under their nose. Perhaps Mandarin will be Tony Starks' fathers secret.

So you would agree with the theory that the movie will be somewhat like Rush Hour. I guess that could happen. But I'm hoping the movie to be more like the comic, where he doesn't hide his identity.

 

[Advanced Dark]

I don't think the MOVIE will be like Rush Hour. Hell no. I'm talking about the deception or mystery behind the villain and the assumptions the audience will make due to the name Mandarin. I'm sure they'll throw in some Asian actors to make things even more confusing. Like I said one of the ways I could be wrong is if he's already been cast and they just didn't announce it.

BUT...then what's so damn secret about Jeff Bridges character and NOT about the other characters. At the same time why the secrecy about the casting of The Mandarin if he has already been cast. The ensemble is cast per Feige. Why the secrecy? I think it's obvious.

 

[emi]

I think that Bridges is playing Howard Stark.

No, I don't think Howard Stark is going to be featured on Iron Man: the father/son angle from the old Gough/Millar/Hayter drafts (that I read) has been totally discarded.

 

[Katsuro]

Exactly who it is? Really? What's his name then since we know exactly who he plays? Do you think that statement covers his entire character completely. Every other character has been announced by name. Mandarin is the only character NOT announced yet. Bridges is the actor who's been hired and we've not been told who he's playing. The above quote is true...but I think it's also deceptive. Who says a close confident in tony's life can't also be a villain? Keep your friends close...keep your enemies closer.

Them not revealing his name means absolutley nothing. You're suggesting that he'll play some friend of Starks, who later turns out to be the Mandarin. Therefore, he'll have to have some name to go by before we find out he's the Mandarin. So using you're logic, why haven't they told us what that name is?

 

[Spider - Man]

Them not revealing his name means absolutley. You're suggesting that he'll play some friend of Starks, who later turns out to be the Mandarin. Therefore, he'll have to have some name to go by before we find out he's the Mandarin. So using you're logic, why haven't they told us what that name is?

Thats what I was just wondering - why don't they just say "He's playing 'John Smith', a friend of Strk's at SE who has a big part in shaping Tony's life."?

Let's say you're right and he's playing Jarvis. Ok then who's the Mandarin? Jarvis? It doesn't jive for me that way.

So if YOU'RE right, then who is playing Jarvis? The Mandarin?
I mean I'm sure Jarvis will be in it and they haven't announced casting for him either. I don't think Bridges would be any better for him either. I'm just saying. If they go the Keiser Sose route with this, it's gonna suck. It would been like having the Kingpin really end up being Wesley Owen Welch - or even Foggy Nelson! - in the DD movie with no 'real' Kingpin at all. Ugh! It changes the character too much. We need a modern Chinese warlord.

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ It's not a matter of what you think is wrong or what you think we need. Put your personal thoughts aside and use the process of elimination. I did say there's a couple ways I could be wrong but only due to trickery or silence by the studio on something they've already done.

 

[Spider - Man]

^ It's not a matter of what you think is wrong or what you think we need. Put your personal thoughts aside and use the process of elimination. I did say there's a couple ways I could be wrong but only due to trickery or silence by the studio on something they've already done.

So who's playing Jarvis since all the casting has been wrapped up?

 

[Ironfan72]

I still think he maybe playing Obidiah Stane, giving Stane a different origin, having be a fellow weapons manufacturer who works for Stark Industries, and betray's Tony half way thru the movie in order to take over Stark's company.
Now, there was a castng call back a couple weeks ago for Iron Man, a character called "Gene Kahn: 30's-40's, Central Asian, handsome, impeccably dressed, A renaissance man for the new millenium, he has been educated on three continents, is just as familier with Machiavelli as Sun Tzu."
Now that sounds like either Mandarin or a front man for Mandarin,IMO.

 

[Advanced Dark]

So who's playing Jarvis since all the casting has been wrapped up?

I'd say Mandarin is a bigger piece of the puzzle...wouldn't you.

 

[fu manchu]

I still think he maybe playing Obidiah Stane, giving Stane a different origin, having be a fellow weapons manufacturer who works for Stark Industries, and betray's Tony half way thru the movie in order to take over Stark's company.

I like that idea better than Bridges as The Mandarin.

 

[Spider - Man]

I'd say Mandarin is a bigger piece of the puzzle...wouldn't you.

That's not the point. You said that your reasoning that Bridges must be the Mandarin is that Favs said all of the ensemble roles have been cast and that the only one we don't know who the actor for is Mandarin so Bridges must be playing him. BUT we ALSO DON'T KNOW who is playing Jarvis so you could just as easily use your logic to say that Bridges is playing Jarvis UNLESS you're also saying that if there are 2 possible roles that Bridges could fill, you feel that he'd HAVE to play the bigger of the 2 roles(?) I don't know.

I'm not even saying you're wrong just that your logic isn't as airtight as you make it sound. I HOPE you're wrong and if Favs has in fact cast Bridges as Mandy, it'll be a shock to me as it will suddenly cast a doubt in me as to what his thought process is gonna be with the REST of the film (up to now I have been pretty confident). The main reason for this is the same as what others have said: why would he NOT cast an Asian to play an Asian unless he palns to drastically change the character and then why would he do THAT? Makes no sense.

It would be like, as I said earlier, if MSJ had done DD according to what you're suggesting with no MCD and never actually showing the Kingpin and at the end we found out that Foggy Nelson ("a close business associate of" Matt's) was actually the Kingpin. It just makes no sense to unnecessarily change an established character so drastically like that when Favs seems to be trying so hard to stick to the tradition of the comic in every other way. And that is MY logic for saying that I wouldn't think he'd cast Bridges as Mandarin. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[X Knight]

and with Kingpin....there was a rational to changing race for the movie.

Kingpin has a rather unique build or look.....and perhaps MCD fit that build and look better than a white actor and had the talent to pull off the role.

but....what's the excuse for Mandarin? there's really NO reason to change Mandarin's race.....unless if you are going to drastically change the premise of the character.....in which case it would be MINO and would beg the question......Why use the character at all? Why not go with another villain?

 

[terry78]

People seem to forget that Mandarin's culture is part of the character. He wants to follow in his ancestor's footsteps as a supreme warlord ruler of all he surveys, as they did in their time.

 

[WTFimVENOM]

Maby the Mandarin will not even be cast at all, maby the myth is that hes a man, but in reality he is an organization, maby crime or terrorist. This would "confuse" us and go with the entire modern theme of an IM movie grounded in the real world. A bit of a stretch but I think it would be cool

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ That's another possibility I guess but I think someone close to Stark will also be the Mandarin and he wont' know it right away obviously. Someone will have a dual role of sorts.

 

[FlawlessVictory]

^ That's another possibility I guess but I think someone close to Stark will also be the Mandarin and he wont' know it right away obviously. Someone will have a dual role of sorts.

I hope not because I've seen that movie already. Favreau should just play it straight with The Mandarin. He's not a villain we've typically seen and he has lots of potential to do great things with.