ET is First Behind the Scenes of 'Iron Man 3'

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ET gained exclusive access to the set of Marvel's Iron Man 3, getting a first look at the action scenes of the movie.

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Directed by Lethal Weapon screenwriter Shane Black, Iron Man 3 takes place roughly one year after The Avengers. When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finds his world torn apart by the super villain Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), he must enlist the help of his constant friends Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) aka War Machine to stop the madness.

Robert calls the relationship between Tony and Pepper the center of the movie.

"I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without -- that's you," Tony tells Pepper in one of our clips.

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This marks the first installation of the superhero franchise directed by someone other than Jon Favreau, but the director/actor hasn't completely abandoned the sequel. He reprised his role as Hogan, Tony's loyal chauffeur.

"I think that they're really honoring what we did and expanding upon it," said Favreau.

Marvel's Iron Man 3 opens May 3.