As Mel Brooks once said, it's good to be the king. Well...unless you're Trevor Slattery.
Last May, a considerable number of Marvel Comics fans went to see the movie Iron Man 3, anticipating the long-awaited confrontation between Tony Stark and his archenemy The Mandarin, played by Sir Ben Kingsley. Unfortunately, what they actually got was the "What a twist!" revelation that The Mandarin was merely a fictional facade, portrayed by a drunken British actor called Trevor.
No, there isn't a SPOILER WARNING here. It doesn't deserve one.
Entertainment Weekly has confirmed rumors that Kingsley is reprising his role of Trevor in a new Marvel One-Shot short film to be included with the Thor: The Dark World Blu-Ray/DVD release. Titled All Hail the King, the short is written and directed by Iron Man 3 screenwriter Drew Pearce and serves as an epilogue to Iron Man 3. Trevor, now locked away in the maximum security prison Seagate, is "reveling in his newfound infamy. (It’s as close to fame as he’s ever gotten.)"
Slattery has agreed to an interview with a filmmaker (played by Scoot McNairy), who is making a documentary following up on the events of Iron Man 3. The interview takes place in Slattery’s unusually large cell, which features memorabilia from his past, including a King Lear poster on the back wall referenced in the movie as "the toast of Croydon — wherever that is." The documentary explores the actor’s past (including a Miami Viceish TV pilot from the ‘80s) but also tries to determine if The Ten Rings terrorist organization really exists, and if they hold a grudge against Slattery for making them look foolish.
"Imagine a real terrorist organization whose beliefs were long held and religious for thousands of years, and imagine a drunk, British actor coming along and essentially telling the world that he’s the face of your organization," Pearce said. "I think they would be right to be quite angry."
Thor: The Dark World arrives on home video on February 25, 2014.