Principal photography wraps on schedule for Iron Man 2

Marvel Studios reports that principal photography, which began on April 6th, was completed two days ago on July 18th – right on scheduled.

After 71 days of shooting, Iron Man 2 producer and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige stated:

“Shooting ‘Iron Man 2’ was a fantastic experience and we couldn’t be happier. Although there were many challenges in making this film, having Jon Favreau, Robert Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow and almost the entire crew from the first film back on board, allowed us to hit the ground running as everyone was instantly familiar with each other from day one,” Feige told Marvel.com. “This dynamic allowed us to get done what we needed on a day to day basis and was a big factor in why we finished slightly ahead of schedule.”

Feige also reported that newcomers to the series – Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell and Don Cheadle “all stepped right in and meshed well with [the] returning cast.”

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“What’s more difficult in shooting a sequel is that expectations are much higher for this film and we really want to top what we did on the first film,” he said. “Every day involved working extremely hard in order to improve upon what we did on the first film.”

Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7, 2010.