After weeks of non-stop casting announcements and analysis of its possible plot, the Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios film Iron Man 3 has commenced principal photography in Wilmington, NC. We have the first behind-the-scenes image from the production. You can check it out here below.

The film’s plot is reportedly based on “Extremis,” a six-issue story arc from Marvel Comics’ The Invincible Iron Man written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Adi Granov, which would introduce nanotechnology into the character’s ongoing adventures. Shane Black is directing Iron Man 3 from a screenplay he co-wrote with Drew Pearce. Returning to the cast are Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Jon Favreau (a good indication that not much bad blood exists between Favreau, who directed the first two Iron Man films and had originally planned to direct the third and complete his trilogy, and Marvel Studios). New to the cast are Rebecca Hall (Frost/Nixon) and Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs), and playing the heavies of Iron Man 3 are Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale, and Ashley Hamilton.

Joining director Black on the production crew are two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll (Braveheart), production designer Bill Brzeski (The Hangover), editors Jeffrey Ford (The Avengers) and Peter S. Elliot (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), and costume designer Louise Frogley (Contagion).

The production will also be filming in Raleigh/Durham, Miami, and China.

The first image shows Tony Stark (Downey) in his workshop beholding the seven Iron Man suits he’s built and battle-tested so far, including the “Mark 7” suit recently seen in the third act of The Avengers.

Iron Man 2 left me a little underwhelmed, but after The Avengers my faith in the character and what Downey can do with him has been renewed. With Shane Black, who got a brilliant and endearing performance from Downey in his noir comedy classic Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, on directing duties and some interesting new faces and concepts we can expect some greatness next summer.

Iron Man 3 opens on May 3, 2013.

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