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Robert Downey Jr. Injures Ankle While Shooting Iron Man 3, Production Put on Hold

by Alexis L. Loinaz Thu., Aug. 16, 2012 5:29 AM PDT

Marvel Studios

He may play a superhero on film, but Robert Downey Jr. is all too human in real life.

The 47-year-old injured his ankle while shooting a stunt on the North Carolina set of Iron Man 3, Marvel Studios said in a statement to E! News.

The threequel will briefly halt production until the star is back on the mend.

Here's everything you need to know about Iron Man 3

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

Expectations are running high for the eagerly anticipated sequel following the first two films' staggering global grosses, which topped out at $585 million and $623 million, respectively.

The Shane Black–helmed flick began shooting in May with a cast that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Rebecca Hall and Guy Pearce, and a top-secret plot believed to be inspired by the comic book's popular Extremis storyline, in which a scientist creates a drug that grants people superhuman abilities.

Get a load of Iron Man 3's teaser art: Is Tony Stark now a mutant?!

Filmmakers set the geekverse abuzz last month by screening teaser footage at Comic-Con that answered a few questions, including speculation that Kingsley is playing criminal mastermind Mandarin. (Yep, he is.)

Black told E! News at Comic-Con that half the film had already been shot, and that if they "don't f--k up the rest, it's going to be great." We bet!

Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3, 2013.

The Hobbit, Skyfall, Cloud Atlas: Pics of movies coming to theaters soon!