When the Iron Man 3 trailer hit last month, all everybody talked about was a shift in tone that hinted perhaps this latest jaunt would be more serious in nature. But looking back on it, I’m not sure what we were expecting out of an Iron Man 3 trailer, jokes? Given Downey Jr.’s penchant for quips in addition to Shane Black’s entire career, it’s pretty much a given that the sequel will have a fair amount of levity amidst the action. What the trailer needed to do, and I believe they accomplished it quite well, was sell the threat of Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin. In an interview with The West Australian, producer Kevin Feige sets the record straight:

“It’s not a serious movie, but we seriously dig into exploring more of Tony. The trick is just trying to make great movies. We try to make them all great, all different and all fresh. What you’ll see in Iron Man 3 is some very unique directions that were taken.”

Director Shane Black echoes the “similar but different” approach:

“We’re not aiming for bigger, necessarily. We’re aiming for different and fresh and new. It’s all about capturing that lightning-in-a-bottle feel, about trying to get as much into this as we can. We’re looking to get a ton of thrills into a short space, to make a nice little stew for you.”

So there you have it. The movie’s not serious, but is different. But not too different. Wow, I feel like I don’t even need to see the movie now. They’ve just given it all away.

Source: via ComingSoon