Fan Bingbing in Iron Man 3? It seems the actress will appear in only the Chinese version of the film.


Earlier today Marvel announced it will be releasing a Chinese version of its upcoming blockbuster, Iron Man 3, which will differ from the film that audiences outside of China see.

The announcement also included the detail that Chinese actress and singer Fan Bingbing will be cut out of the non-Chinese version of the film. A statement released by Marvel read: “The Chinese version of the film will also feature a special appearance of China’s top actress, Fan Bingbing, and will offer specially prepared bonus footage made exclusively for the Chinese audience.”

The statement did emphasize that Chinese actor Wang Xueq will appear in both versions of the film, as will scenes from the movie that were shot in Beijing.

There has been much speculation over Fan Bingbing’s role in the film. On the one hand, she was present at the press conference in Beijing promoting the film last summer. On the other hand, little has been heard about her in discussions about the film since.

Confusion was further heightened after the film’s Chinese trailer included footage of Fan, whereas the trailer released in the United States did not.

Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

Marvels statement did go on to say: “Marvel Studios’ experience working on this film with Fan Bingbing and Wang Xueqi and in shooting in China has been very positive and has created a springboard for future collaboration with China’s talented stars and its growing film and television industry.”

Fan Bingbing’s aspirations of breaking into Hollywood are hardly over, however. Last week Director Bryan Singer announced on his Twitter account he had cast the rising star as Blink in the next installment of his X-Men series, X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Forbes Magazine ranked Fan number 3 on their 2012 list of China’s top celebrities, whereas she topped Beijing News list of the most beautiful people in China and Hong Kong in both 2008 and 2010.