Coming off his acclaimed turn in The Wrestler, former Sin City star Mickey Rourke suits up for a possible role in Iron Man 2.
What a difference a critically beloved star turn in a gritty low-budget movie can make. With a likely Oscar nomination on the horizon for his work in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, Rourke’s phone is ringing off the hook with new offers. He’s currently filming the remake of the European thriller 13 and yesterday both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter published word that the actor is being wooed for a role as a bad guy in 2010′s blockbuster sequel Iron Man 2.
Interestingly though, neither paper can agree which member of Iron Man’s rouges gallery Rourke is being considered for. While Variety reports he’ll be donning Soviet armor to play The Crimson Dynamo, THR claims he’ll be wielding the deadly energy whip belonging to Whiplash (a.k.a. Blacklash). Iron Man 2 scribe Justin Theroux and director Jon Favreau are currently refusing to clear up the confusion, but based on the pictures below, we’re thinking the Crimson Dynamo might be a better look for Rourke. Then again, it would be pretty hilarious to see him decked out in Whiplash’s S&M style gear…might be tough getting a PG-13 rating though.
Both Variety and THR also report that Sam Rockwell is coming aboard as an additional villain (specifically Tony Stark’s billionaire rival Justin Hammer, according to THR, though Rockwell seems a bit young for the part), which suggests that Iron Man 2 could be in danger of going the way of the Batman sequels by loading up on too many villains. Or maybe one of these folks is being prepped for a War Machine spin-off starring Don Cheadle, who is famously stepping into the armor that Terrence Howard never got the chance to wear. Expect to hear confirmation this summer when Favreau, Downey and Rourke appear onstage at the geek extravaganza known as the San Diego Comic-Con.
