Ben Kingsley hopes his MCU return in 'Wonder Man' series is a 'surprise'

Ben Kingsley. REUTERS/Phil Klein

Ben Kingsley. REUTERS/Phil Klein

Published Sep 12, 2022

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In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, actor Ben Kingsley plays the role of Trevor Slattery, a washed-up actor recruited to pose as menacing villains like The Mandarin in “Iron Man 3”.

And soon after making a cameo appearance in “Shang-Chi”, Kingsley is set to return to the bumbling character in a new Disney+ series “Wonder Man”, about the long-time Avenger and aspiring actor, reports Variety.

"If I may humbly speak as an artist and a craftsman, I think our role is to constantly surprise and refresh," Kingsley told Variety film and media reporter Rebecca Rubin about his role.

"So I hope that I continue to constantly surprise and refresh."

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Kingsley stopped by the Variety Studio, presented by King's Hawaiian at the Toronto International Film Festival, to promote his new film “Daliland”, the festival's closing film.

Directed by Mary Harron, the film focuses on legendary surrealist artist Salvador Dali during the final years of his life, with a focus on his tempestuous relationship with his wife and muse Gala (Barbara Sukowa).

Speaking about playing the dying artist, Kingsley said that acting in the film and portraying Dali's life had been a full-bodied process.

"When we examine the later years of his life, which were, I believe, underpinned by a terror of mortality, and then you balance that with the fact that he accepted in a rather unnarcissistic way, that he was a genius, rather like Shakespeare's ‘King Lear', how do you examine the departure from life of a genius, of a great force?" Kingsley said.

"I had between action and cut, to be as reckless, as daring and uninhabited as Dali with his painting and his writing."

“Daliland” will premiere at TIFF on September 17. It is seeking US distribution.