Iron Man 3 Will Feature Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan

Jon Favreau, who directed the first two Iron Man films but has handed the reins over to Shane Black for the third installment of the franchise, has confirmed exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter that he will indeed return to reprise his role as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark’s right-hand man.Favreau, who played the (admittedly small) role in the first two films, just inked a deal with Marvel to return for Iron Man 3, according to the report.The Swingers star has been saying all the right things in recent weeks regarding his enthusiasm for The Avengers and Iron Man 3, on which films he serves as an executive producer.The film is due for a May 2013 release date, and officially shooting began Wednesday, although ComicBook.com reported back in April that Robert Downey Jr. had been spotted in North Carolina, where the film is currently shooting, and reportedly had stepped in front of the cameras as early as then.