Movies With Butter

Book your tickets to Beijing, folks: we already knew Marvel was preparing a special cut of Iron Man 3 for Chinese audiences, but according to recent comments made by director Shane Black, it sounds like it could contain more than just minor differences.

The Playlist reports that Black and co-screenwriter Drew Pearce addressed the topic during a press conference, with Black hinting, "The Chinese version will have an interesting surprise. We do know that there’s additional footage that will be available in that version, which I’m sure will filter back here."

That's the kind of statement that begs for a follow-up question, which is probably why Pearce cut additional inquiries off at the pass by adding, "I think Marvel would like to keep an element of surprise by that, so when the inevitable versions of it feed back to us, you’ll see exactly what it involved, but for the moment I don’t think we’re allowed to talk about it."

That didn't stop Black from adding his last two cents, however, by pointing out that whatever differences you see, he wasn't directly involved. As he explained, "There was the idea of a Chinese version where it would entail additional footage that I was asked to look at and approve. I was busy doing the American version while we were simultaneously obtaining footage for the Chinese version, so I got a sense of what was going on. I was asked to look at and had a chance later to approve the footage, so now you’ve got these two versions."

It was always a given that the Chinese footage would eventually surface on the DVD/Blu-ray release, and initially, it seemed like just another case of separate content for different markets. Now, however, we're not so sure -- and definitely interested to hear more about the surprises Marvel has waiting for us when Iron Man 3 debuts on May 3.

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