Whilst Marvel’s Thor 2 has been bogged down a little with script work and the need to find a new director (all now sorted, it seems), Iron Man 3 has been full steam ahead. Shane Black is directing the new film, which is set for release in May 2013. And reports are coming in that production could be starting as early as April.

The film is set to shoot in North Carolina, and Robert Downey Jr will, as you might expect, be reprising his role as Tony Stark in the movie.

Should the shoot start in April, as opposed to the previously reported late May start date, then presumably there’ll be flexibility in the schedule to allow Downey Jr to do a week or two of travelling the world to promote The Avengers, which is out around the same time.

We still have no news of who the villain is going to be in Iron Man 3, and who is going to be playing them. But when we hear more, we’ll let you know.

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