DELAYED: Dent in Iron Man's schedule after injury

ROBERT Downey Jr has been injured on the set of Iron Man 3. The accident happened while the 47-year-old actor was performing a stunt. Marvel Studios confirmed the news and also announced production will be briefly delayed while Robert recovers. "Robert Downey Jr sustained an ankle injury on the set of Iron Man 3 in Wilmington, North Carolina while performing a stunt," Marvel Studios confirmed to ET Online. "There will be a short delay in the production schedule while he recuperates." It is not yet clear how long production will be postponed for. Robert has reprised his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle and Sir Ben Kingsley. The film has been in production since late May this year and is due for release in spring 2013, a date which is unlikely to be affected by the accident. Robert's rep confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the star is fine and they're still waiting to see how long he'll need before returning to the shoot. The actor has previously spoken about his desire to push the limits with this film. It is not known if the injury was caused by Robert being overly ambitious with his stunts. "I feel like I don't know where you go after Iron Man 3," Robert said to Entertainment Weekly. "Leave it all on the field, you know?"