Robert Downey Jr. Injured While Filming 'Iron Man 3'

Actor Robert Downey Jr. is on the mend after suffering an injury on the set of “Iron Man 3.” The production, being shot in North Carolina, will shut down temporarily while the superstar recovers.

According to Marvel Studios, "Robert Downey Jr. sustained an ankle injury on the set of “Iron Man 3” in Wilmington, N.C., while performing a stunt. There will be a short delay in the production schedule while he recuperates."

This isn’t Downey Jr.’s first injury on the “Iron Man 3” set. At Comic-Con, Robert told “Extra’s” Ben Lyons, “This time [the director] Shane Black said he wanted everything lean and mean so a lot more martial arts and less strength training and yes, plenty of injuries already.”



The threequel is a mystery, but rumor has it that the plot will continue to revolve around a popular “Extremis” storyline from the comic books. In the six-issue series, Tony Stark is infected with the Extremis virus, which turns him into a super-soldier. His new special powers include accelerated healing, boosted immune system, upgraded organs and improved brain function.

Many elements from Tony Stark’s origin story in the first “Iron Man” film were taken from the same series.

Familiar faces like Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle will return for the third installment, as well as new additions like Rebecca Hall and Guy Pearce. Ben Kingsley will play a supervillain named Mandarin who tries to release Extremis on the masses.

“Iron Man 3” will open nationwide on May 3, 2013.