Iron Man Mandarin is being played by...??

[He-Man]

I made a thread about a month ago saying that Shaun Toub had been cast in Iron Man but the role he was playing was never stated. Now that same site that I got that info from (slashfilms.com) is saying that they have gotten a "tip" that he is going to play The Mandarin. Could that be the reason we haven't heard anything on the casting for this role because they already had the guy they wanted to play him....?

March 22nd, 2007 at 8:51 pm

Last month we reported that Shaun Toub had been cast in Iron Man. We’ve just been sent an exclusive but unconfirmed tip by an insider that Toub will play Gene Kahn aka Mandarin.

On July 22, 2006, Iron Man director Jon Favreau announced at Comic-Con that the Mandarin would be the main villain in the film.

The Mandarin made his Marvel Comics debut in February 1964 in Tales of Suspense #50. The character is one of the world’s greatest scientific geniuses and a skilled martial artist. Seeking world domination, The Mandarin has no superhuman powers to speak of, he instead makes us of technology. Over the years, he would frequently attempt to turn various nations’ weapons against them. His costume projects a powerful skin-tight force field. He can even split Iron Man’s magnetic-beam reinforced alloy armor with repeated blows from his hands. He possesses ten rings of alien origin which grant him vast powers.

Note: We have no official confirmation on this, so for now, treat this as rumor. We’re usually not a site to start rumors. In the past we’ve been very respectable and cynical when it comes to the unconfirmed. But this casting tidbit seems to gel. We’ll see.


http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/03/22/iron-man-shaun-toub-is-mandarin/

 

[Chris B]

Toub has always looked more like Yinsen than the Mandarin to me. We'll just have to wait and see. The casting call describied Gene Kahn as being Central Asian not Middle Eastern though.

 

[MarvelXI]

Please Jon, choose an other director for this role, choosing toub for mandarin isn´t like choosing clark duncan for kingpin.

 

[Threshold]

Toub was terrific in his LOST guest appearance. He was very charismatic and interesting, with a dark menace always lurking behind his eyes. If he is the villain of the film, it wouldn't be a bad choice at all.

 

[Cinemaman]

Toub is actually very good choice, because as we know Jon Favreau moved the place of events in movie from war in Vietman to Mid East. Toub looks nice for such part as Mandarin, so I am fine with him

 

[He-Man]

Toub has always looked more like Yinsen than the Mandarin to me. We'll just have to wait and see. The casting call describied Gene Kahn as being Central Asian not Middle Eastern though.

I could be wrong but I believe Central Asians are more closely related to Middle Easterns than they are people from Far East countries like China, Japan, The Koreas, & Taiwan

 

[Chris B]

I could be wrong but I believe Central Asians are more closely related to Middle Easterns than they are people from Far East countries like China, Japan, The Koreas, & Taiwan

I think most Central Asians tend to be of Turkic or Mongolian descent. The last name "Kahn" doesn't sound Arab or Persian. I would associate it with India, China, or Mongolia.

 

[MarvelXI]

I think most Central Asians tend to be of Turkic or Mongolian descent. The last name "Kahn" doesn't sound Arab or Persian. I would associate it with India, China, or Mongolia.

It could be german too, like Oliver Kahn

 

[the reel chris]

It was my misconception to think that 'Central Asia' consists primarily of China and all the countries surrounding it to the north, (really, just Mongolia). Central Asia, according to Wiki, consists of Khazikstan and all the "-stans" states surrounding it, to the northwest/west of China. The Mongol Empire extended to the Caspian Sea and Iran, which is immediately south of that Central Asian region. Thus, a Persian-descended actor could play the role.

But theoretically, so could Borat.

I don't think it's unnatural to lump the North of China and Mongolia into that Central Asia category. Especially when the gddmn name of the character is synonymous with the most widely spoken native language in the world, Mandarin Chinese.

I continue to have ultimate faith in this crew; I'm simply tired of nonsensical casting tricks as a substitute for strong storytelling, in practice and theory.

Threshold's right. The guy is a masterful villain on screen. That's why I like him for Raza, personally. I don't think it was a conincidence that, given the captivity sequences were to be filmed first, that a Middle Eastern descended actor had been locked in well in advance of filming, especially when we knew that they'd been having issues trying to get these roles cast.

I guess we'll find out.

 

[Retroman]

He's a decent actor in the roles i've seen him portray but he's not someone who i'd expect to be the Mandarin who is Chinese not Persian. He does however look like he could pass for someone called Gene Kahn so i guess it could work.If this is true.

 

[Cinemaman]

How old is he?

 

[He-Man]

He does however look like he could pass for someone called Gene Kahn so i guess it could work.If this is true.

http://www.hollywood.com/moviedetail/The_Kite_Runner/3465017
He is playing someone by the name of "Rahim Khan" in the movie The Kite Runner that comes out this year. So if he can play "Rahim Khan" then can he also play "Gene Khan"? Hmmmmmm

 

[Cinemaman]

^^^

LOL

But still, we should got the official confirmation of him playing Mandarin to make sure it's true.

 

[KingOfDreams]

Toub is actually very good choice, because as we know Jon Favreau moved the place of events in movie from war in Vietman to Mid East. Toub looks nice for such part as Mandarin, so I am fine with him

Part of that doesn't make sense. If that's the case then why would be be called The Mandarin? The word means a particular form of the Chinese langauge, among other things.

 

[Cinemaman]

Part of that doesn't make sense. If that's the case then why would be be called The Mandarin? The word means a particular form of the Chinese langauge, among other things.

Why are you so sure he will be called as The Mandarin? I mean just look at Ras from Batman Begins. His named was mentioned only 2-3 times.

 

[Leto]

People thought Jeff Bridegs was going to play the Mandarin when it wasn't announced who he'd be playing. Jeff Bridges is playing Obadiah Stane.

Shaun Toub's role hasn't been revealed yet and people saying saying he's going to be the Mandarin. Notice a trend?

We'll know who the Mandarin is when they cast him. If I have to eat my words later so be it, this is how I feel.

 

[He-Man]

I know the Gene Khan is not a Pharaoh but their wardrobes are somewhat similar. "IF" Toubs is playing Khan here're some pictures of him in an episode from the old TV show Sliders playing a Pharaoh to see what he “might” look like. Tried to find a bigger picture but this is all I could come up with.

 

[Chris B]

I would hate it if they did that. The Mandarin isn't supposed to be the equivalent of an ancient Egyptian Pharoh.

 

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Sometimes I think people are so blind that they can't figure out the simple thing. Favreau already told many times that he used Mid East instead of Vietnam (film events happen nowadays actually), so that's why Mandarin most likely will be played by persian.

 

[Leto]

The Madarin wasn't Vietnamese either.

I still think Shaun Tobe is playing the captive Doctor that helpsTony after he gets shrapnel lodged in his chest.

 

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Then what was his nation?

 

[Leto]

The Mandarin is Chinese. His mother was English, but he was born and raised in China. He was also educated in different parts of the world. How much of this will remain in Iron Man is debatable, but that's his official canon origin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_(comics)

 

[Chris B]

^^^

Sometimes I think people are so blind that they can't figure out the simple thing. Favreau already told many times that he used Mid East instead of Vietnam (film events happen nowadays actually), so that's why Mandarin most likely will be played by persian.

But what exactly does changing the setting of the origin have to do with the Mandarin's race. I don't see the connection.

 

[Cinemaman]

But what exactly does changing the setting of the origin have to do with the Mandarin's race. I don't see the connection.

As we know Mandarin is the head of group of terrorists (or whatever) in the movie, so the setting has there connection with his nation. I can't see Chinese as the head of terrorsits from Mid East.

 

[Ironfan72]

Back when the script was with New Line, it was either David Hayter or Al Grough said recently that they wrote Mandarin as a Indonesian Terrorist, so apparently Marvel has no problem changing Mandarin's nationality.