Marvel StudiosHe 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.
"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.
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.