AceShowbiz -

"Iron Man 3" keeps on courting more actors to round up its cast ensemble. After it was announced that Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce are in talks to take the villainous roles, it is now reported that Jessica Chastain is also in the mix to star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the third armored hero movie.

It was Deadline which broke the news that Chastain is in talks to play "a sexy scientist every bit as smart as Tony Stark." This is, however, not the first time the "Take Shelter" actress is mentioned to star in the next "Iron Man" film. She was previously offered the same role, but the deal had never been closed due to the actress' tight schedule for other projects.

Before Chastain is back in the mix, it was said that Marvel began lining up meetings with some other actresses such as Diane Kruger, Gemma Arterton as well as Isla Fisher. Nonetheless, as Chastain's scheduling conflict could finally be solved, the studio is now courting the actress once again.

To be directed by Shane Black, "Iron Man 3" reportedly will be loosely based on Warren Ellis' six-issue "Extremis" comic book series, which presents a new origin story that focuses on nanotechnology. The movie is scheduled to begin filming in North Carolina this May, before continuing in China in late summer.

Returning to the cast ensemble are Downey Jr. as the titular superhero a.k.a Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, and Don Cheadle as Rhodey. Walt Disney Pictures will release the movie in the U.S. on May 3, 2013.

As for Chastain, after starring in a number of critically acclaimed dramas such as "The Tree of Life", "The Help", "The Debt" and "Take Shelter", the North Carolina-born actress has been tapped to star in Kathryn Bigelow's Bin Laden film "Zero Dark Thirty (2012)". She will next be seen starring in John Hillcoat's "Lawless (2012)" and lending her voice in "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted".