Way back in May of last year, Marvel Studios hired British television writer Drew Pearce (No Heroics) to write the script for the Peter Sollett (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist) directed, big-screen adaptation of Marvel’s Runaways comic book series, created by Brian K. Vaughan (Lost) and Adrian Alphona.

Now, Deadline reports that Marvel Studios has now hired Drew Pearce to pen Tony Stark’s third solo trip to the big-screen for incoming director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Pearce is reportedly going to start from scratch and work closely with Shane Black.

Just last month, we brought you a report about Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures being unhappy with the direction that Iron Man 2 took, and this latest installment will not be “two men in iron suits fighting each other.” Shane Black was reportedly hoping to make a Tom Clancy-style thriller with Tony Stark fighting a “real world” villain. At the time, Black had appeared at the Omaha Film Festival and confirmed that he was writing this third installment of the Iron Man franchise, collaborating on the storyline with star, Robert Downey Jr. I guess those plans have now changed.

Iron Man 3 is slated to go into production in 2012, after production on The Avengers is complete, and according to Black, there will be no other characters from the Marvel comic universe appearing in Iron Man 3. The plan is to make a self-contained Iron Man story. Marvel will reportedly complete their character cross-overs after the lead up to the release of The Avengers.

Iron Man 3 is slated to hit theaters on May 3rd, 2013.