According to Deadline, after prepping the shoot for a week in Mainland China, Marvel will begin filming scenes for
Iron Man 3 in Beijing on Monday, and veteran Chinese actor Wang Xuequi has officially been cast as Dr Wu - a slight variation on 'Chen Lu' who he was previously rumored to be playing. Apparently the character was originally going to be played by Andy Lau until he had to back out, and was thought to be an ally to Tony Stark. But when it leaked that the character's name was Chen Lu - who in the comics becomes Radioactive Man - it was assumed he must be a villain, and Deadline have also confirmed this, saying Xuequi will have a villainous role, but that it is "not a huge part". We don't know if Lu will actually transform into Radioactive man in the movie of course.
Xuequi - dubbed the "Chinese Sean Connery" - has had a career spanning 25 years, appearing in the likes of
Yellow Earth (1984) and
The Big Parade (1986), Huang Jianxin’s Samsara, and Zhang Yimou’s
Codename Cougar (1989), and more recently the award-winning
Forever Enthralled (2008) and
Bodyguards and Assassins (2009).