On May 3, brilliant inventor Tony Stark will face off The Mandarin, an enemy whose reach has no bounds, on the third installment of the Iron Man saga. This time around when Stark’s world is destroyed, he embarks on a quest to save the ones he loves and finds those responsible.

Robert Downey Jr. reprises the role of Iron Man, a role he was born to play. Joining him is a stellar cast of familiar faces, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan; and adding some new ones to the mix, like Guy Pierce as Aldrich Killian, Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen and Sir Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.

Also joining the franchise is director/screenwriter Shane Black and screenwriter Drew Pierce, who gave the actors a well-rounded script to work with. “I think Shane [Black] is really super talented, he took it up a notch, which was really difficult to do,” said Paltrow in a recent press conference. Paltrow refers to Black taking over Favreau on the directing/screenwriting front, but it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass. “The chance to have a green-lit picture and to work again with Robert Downey, and also spend time with Jon Favreau, who gave me endless tips and advice, was too attractive to pass up,” said Black.

Every movie comes with challenges, but on sequels those challenges double. “I think the big challenge is that these movies are only ever as good as their bad guys. And once we cast Sir Ben [Kingsley], half of our troubles went away,” said Downey Jr. In this case, bringing Kingsley, Pierce and Hall, won them half the battle. The other half was the script that Kingsley referred to as a “wonderful document” and left the actors with a small chance, or none at all, for improvisation. He also added, “I tried to give The Mandarin, in his political broadcasts, a rather unnerving sense of righteousness and make him almost paternalistic and patriarchal.”

The evolution of the characters is quite important in this film, to have their relationships within one another go a step up, and see how they really are. Cheadle said that for him, personally, this film was a lot of fun to make because he “was able to do a lot of action outside of the suit and getting to work with the stunt team and doing a lot of cable work.” On the other hand, Paltrow adds, “I think one of the things that I loved the most is that she [Pepper] really steps into her power, in all areas, and you do see her as a very intelligent, articulate CEO. We see her now in an equal relationship with Tony, where she wants her needs met while still remaining a very supportive woman in his life.”

For the actors new to the Marvel universe and super hero movies, it was an interesting experience. “I remember watching it and thinking it’s not just about the action sequences and the thrill ride, it’s also about the repartee and the wit and the dialogue,” said Hall. To that, Pearce added, “obviously working with Robert [Downey Jr.] is something quite specific because he’s the genius that he is. He likes to have a lot of fun, he likes to improvise, you’ve really got to be on your toes.” At the end of the day these type of films are like a ride in an amusement park. “You know that it’s exciting and it might be a bit scary, but you know that it’s going to be fun,” said Hall at the press conference.

Downey Jr, Paltrow, Cheadle and the rest of the cast want to make sure the general public understands that no matter the events happening around us, the job of these movies is to entertain. “If we are lucky enough to, outside of that, have someone’s mind changed about something that’s happening in the real world, or gain a sensitivity that wasn’t there before, or have a deeper understanding, that’s some ancillary by-product that we couldn’t have anticipated,” said Cheadle.

Iron Man 3 has a great story and surprising twists that will have you at the edge of your seat. Don’t miss it!

Get set for Marvel's Iron Man 3, hitting theaters and IMAX 3D on May 3!