Robert Downey Jr. Sprained His Ankle Last Year While Filming the Finale of 'Iron Man 3' in Wilmington, N.C.

Iron Man's my favorite super hero, and my youngest boy's into the franchise, so it's a win-win situation. The film opens next Friday.

The Los Angeles Times reports on some of the challenges of finishing the production, "‘Iron Man 3′: Tony Stark lives by his wits in Marvel’s latest":

It was the moment that brought a $200-million blockbuster to a screeching halt.

Robert Downey Jr. stood frozen in pain after leaping onto a platform of an oil tanker on the Wilmington, N.C., soundstage where “Iron Man 3” was shooting its fiery finale last year. The actor had made ambitious wire jumps for stunt scenes before, but this time was different. The impact of the landing left him with an ankle sprain so severe he was unable to walk for seven weeks.

“I was feeling a little bit invincible, I guess,” Downey said last week while making the promotional rounds for “Iron Man 3,” which rockets into theaters on May 3. “I checked it out, and I was like, ‘Oh, we got this.’ And we didn’t have it.”

When it comes to playing Tony Stark, the genius-billionaire-playboy-inventor whom Downey first brought to the screen in 2008’s record-breaking “Iron Man,” the Oscar-nominated actor could be forgiven for overreaching.

More at the link.