Iron Man 3 is scheduled to begin production within a few weeks, but the casting process isn’t quite yet complete. The third installment of the Iron Man franchise as already added Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, and Rebecca Hall to the cast, and now comes word that The Pacific star James Badge Dale will be joining them as Eric Savin.

According to Variety, Savin is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army who accidentally steps on a landmine while on a mission. In order to save his life, cybernetic surgery is performed and he becomes Coldblood. Think of it as Marvel’s version of RoboCop. This could mean that Iron Man 3 could be cluttered with three villains instead of two. Pearce would be playing as Aldrich Killain, a man who sells a dangerous technology to villains, and Kingsley would play as the main villain (rumored to be The Mandarin).

Earlier today it was reported that Jessica Chastain had opted not to take on the “sexy scientist” role she was said to be up for in Iron Man 3. Not wasting any time, it looks like director Shane Black and company had another actress on stand by.

According to sources, Rebecca Hall is now in negotiations to play the character Chastain was lined up for. Apart from the brief description indicating that the character would be an attractive scientist type who’s just as smart as Robert Downey Jr.‘s Tony Stark character, all that’s known is that this will be a supporting role. Gwyneth Paltrow‘s Pepper Potts character is the movie’s female lead.

The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon
Written by Joss Whedon and Zak Penn
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson
Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures
Release Date: May 4, 2012

“And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes were united against a common threat! On that day The Avengers were born “” to fight foes no single hero could withstand!”

Scenario: 27-year-old Adam Frazier (aka Famous Monster) gains access to a time machine and travels back to 1990, where a 6-year-old Adam is lying on the floor playing with his collection of ToyBiz Marvel Superheroes (complete with carrying case).

Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and the Incredible Hulk have been forced to put aside their differences and work together to defeat the devastating (and educated) tag-team of Dr. Doom and Dr. Octopus, who are attempting to take over my mother’s kitchen – a strategic move that will no doubt leave scuff marks on the linoleum floor.

With the recent Iron Man 3 casting announcements of Guy Pearce as a villain, Jessica Chastain as a sexy scientist, and Sir Ben Kingsley as another villain, it was thought that they would be joining returning cast members Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Scarlett Johansson.

Now it appears that Johansson and her Black Widow character will not be appearing in the trilogy-maker after all. In an interview with Screen Rant for upcoming Marvel superhero epic, The Avengers, the actress shared that she would not be part of that particular project. But she also made sure to clarify that this might not be the end of her run as the character; Johansson stated that she saw a Bourne Identity-style Black Widow movie in there somewhere that she’d love to do eventually.

Actress Jessica Chastain fired to stardom over the course of the past year with roles in Oscar winner The Help, Oscar nominee The Tree of Life, The Debt, and Take Shelter.

Now the actress is busier than ever having just completed work on Lawless with Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Tom Hardy, and Shia LaBeouf, Tar with James Franco, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff, and Bruce Campbell, another Terrence Malick film with Rachel McAdams, Benn Affleck, Michael Sheen, Rachel Weisz, Javier Bardem, Amanda Peet, and Barry Pepper, and a voice acting role in Madagascar 3.

She’s piling up more projects as well, with The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow’s Osama Bin Laden project, titled Zero Dark Thirty, currently filming, and now it appears she could be joining Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3.