Jessica Chastain (The Help) is in negotiations to join Iron Man 3 (the Marvel Studios production), which will start shooting in five weeks in North Carolina withShane Black in the director’s seat, THR has confirmed.
Chastain is not a female lead but will play a supporting role. The female lead belongs to Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Tony Stark/Iron Man’s long-suffering girlfriend Pepper Potts. Insiders say that Potts will be a beefed-up presence in the new movie.
Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley are the previously-reported newcomers to the franchise. They are in various stages of negotiations to join mainstays Robert Downey Jr. and Paltrow, plus Don Cheadle.
Chastain next voices a role in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, which opens June 8.