About nine months ago, in demand actress Jessica Chastain was offered the role of Maya Hansen in ‘Iron Man 3’ alongside the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ben Kingsley. However, due to scheduling conflicts, the ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ star was forced to drop out of the project, which left room for ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ and ‘The Town’ star Rebecca Hall to join the party. Now that the film’s release date is drawing ever closer, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Empire Magazine 2013 Superhero Preview.

Thanks to the magazine (via Comic Book Movie), we learn more about the character played by Hall in the Armored Avenger’s next adventure from three people who really know the onscreen version of her well. First, the actress behind the creator of Extremis shares what drew her to the role in the first place:

“I’ve never had a huge desire to be a massive Hollywood actor. Yet this is the third installment of a series I’ve really enjoyed, I really like [Robert Downey Jr.] as an actor, and it looked like it would be fun. And it was. It was a very smart set, Iron Man. There’s a whole game of wits going on all the time between Downey and Shane [Black].”

Next to weigh in is the director, Shane Black, who expresses his fondness for the character from way back when she was only alive on the printed page:

“It’s one thing we loved about the comic book, which was that it’s someone Tony meets in one capacity at one point in his life, and he proves to be touched by that encounter. We needed a snappy and exciting actor to play the part, and not make it this ‘female scientist who takes off her glasses and suddenly she’s beautiful!’ There’s a certain element about her being the female Robert Downey Jr. in a way.”

Finally, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had the last word about Maya and revealed a bit more about her character in the film:

“Maya is a scientist who makes a pretty astounding discovery that leads her to places – and some are healthier than others. It’s not dissimilar to what Tony’s been through, and it’s a great parallel.”

While these three touch on various aspects of Maya Hansen, we don’t know the entire scope of the scientist just yet, that is, unless we’ve haven’t read the comics by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov. But even still, Rebecca Hall’s portrayal may bring out a new side to the character, so we’ll have to wait and see how she turns out once ‘Iron Man 3’ hits theaters later this year.

Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen in ‘Iron Man 3’

 

Are you excited to see more of Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen? Do you think she’ll give Pepper Potts a run for her money in the race to Tony Stark’s heart? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

‘Iron Man 3’ starring Robert Downey, Jr., Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Guy Pearce opens on May 3, 2013.