Nikki Finke got two Iron Man 2 scoops today, reporting that two on again off again rumors have come true. Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johannson will both be playing Russians in the sequel to last year’s Robert Downey Jr saving flick.
After at first being low-balled by the studio to the tune of $250K, Rourke has signed on for the role of the Russian villain in the sequel after his agent David Unger got the quote up to a “significant” level…
Now I’m told that Emily Blunt won’t be in the sequel and Black Widow will now be played by Scarlett Johannson. (Interesting because Scarlett actually screen-tested for the role and didn’t get it.)
The exact “Russian villain” wasn’t specified, but was earlier rumored as Crimson Dynamo or Whiplash. Finke reports he is starting research on all things Russian during his convenient trip to the country promoting The Wrestler.
Rourke’s casting has since been confirmed by Variety, who stated he’ll be playing Whiplash, but with “elements” of Crimson Dynamo, implying some sort of combination of the characters. They also noted his presence and interaction with Downey Jr. during awards season may have been a factor.
So, now that it’s as official as it can be without a press release, what do you think? Did Marvel Studios make the right choices here? Can Johannson pull off being the Russian superspy?
March 11th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
I think these are both excellent casting choices. I was disappointed when it looked like Rourke might not be in IM2 after all (as, I’m hoping, Crimson Dynamo), so I’m glad to hear this has changed for the better.
March 11th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I say YES to Mr. Rourke, no matter what villain he ends up playing but I am REALLY not sure about Scarlett playing the Black Widow…i just don’t see her in the role, but hey, Marvel/Mr. Favreau must see something I don’t so I will reserve judgement until the film is out. I’m hoping they got it right.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
So…the Russian Iron Man villains were never terribly important to me, though Mickey Rourke has periodically produced moving work. Hopefully this means something good for Iron Man 2.
So…Scarlett is a stone cold fox with an ample bust. Gee, even if she plays the blonde Black Widow, Yelena, or God forbid a blonde version of the redhead Black Widow seeing her in skin-tight black leather with the odd moment or two where the zipper dips dangerously low is a tantalizing prospect. Please, movie Gods, let her take this role seriously enough to actually get a believable Russian accent, or let the Widow be undercover with an American accent for most of the film.
So…lets hope the economy going in the tank doesn’t translate into the film being noticeably affected on screen, i.e. far fewer FX shots or some other cost cutting measures that are harmful. I only mention this since I heard about the attempt to lowball Rourke on his salary and the near drop of Sam Jackson over cash as well…if you can’t cut costs one way you’ll cut them another.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Crimson Dynamo + Whiplash = Red Lash??
March 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Not too enthusiastic about combining Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash. The decision to combine Brian Banner and the Absorbing Man was a disaster — let’s hope this is handled better.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I see Jennifer Garner being an excellent Black Widow….but I know she has been typecast as Elektra as well.
March 12th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
save some money, drop jackson and recast fury….jackson is highly overrated
March 12th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
What happened to Sam Rockwell playing the Living Laser? Or did I just dream that up?
March 12th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Got all my fingers and toes crossed that Johannson doesn’t sign, she just doesn’t have the energy or rawness that is needed, and she’s not exactly been a box-office draw of late. What value could she honestly add to this film?
March 12th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I’m totally okay for Scarlett Johanson playing Crimson Dynamo and Mickey Rourke playing black widow….s’gonna be fun.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I guess we can look forward to that “Heath Ledger as the Joker” level of anticipation Newsarama predicted earlier, right?
March 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
in that buzz of a similar (or greater) nature to when Ledger was announced as the Joker, sure, once the EW’s and Entertainment Tonight’s start playing it up.
Or was this just someone with a handle using a fictional comic book character name doing a “Neener, neener!” ?
March 12th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Oh man, Rourke sporting a fake russian accent as a russian villain inspired by the Crimson Dynamo? Didn’t we already get an armored villain in the last movie. We should of gotten Mandarin and then revenge with Fin Fang Foom for part 3.
On Scarlett Johanson, apparently she got a low figure and this ties into a multi-picture deal for her. I think its a great career mood and to tell me shes a bad actress only paints you as completely clueless of having actually watch her movies. I’d like to point to “Girl with a Pearl Earing” as well as other roles like The Island. And shes beautiful, I can see her playing the role of Natasha Romanov easily.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Well, it’s not really a comic book name. I was disappointed when I realized that my high school nickname would likely be mistaken for a Gambit reference.
But other than that, yeah. It was a “neener neener”. Guilty as charged.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
One of the more interesting aspects about the Black Widow is that she’s been defined by wisdom, experience and knowledge as much as ass-kicking. She’s technically in her 60s but thanks to comic book magic she appears as someone in her 30s with all the experience benefits age delivers. Cynical, pragmatic and political (borderline left-wing), she’s a wonderfully rich and engaging character.
She’s more of a throwback to actresses such as Kathleen Turner, Jane Fonda or performers of a similar grit and sexiness in their prime. The closest live-action approximation of Black Widow I’ve seen is Lena Olin’s character on “Alias,” which was so dead on that it’s hard to see how he character wasn’t inspired by Natasha in some way.
Which makes it absolutely fascinating that Hollywood - in all its great wisdom - has chosen a doe-eyed, flighty, puffy, post-sorority nymphette to play one of the smartest and most dangerous women in comics. I’ve yet to see a performance where she played anything deeper than a naive ingenue, certainly not with success. Try reading one page of Richard K. Morgan’s knockout “Black Widow” miniseries (either volume) and try to imagine the dazed Johanssen filling those shoes.
“Iron Man 2″ has lost a great deal of credibility in my eyes with this bit of pandering miscasting. Not to mention a great deal of my enthusiasm.
March 12th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Johannson as Black Widow? It’s like another Halle Berry as Storm, or Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes. No presence to bring to the roll.
And I really hoped Marvel, with their 5k plus characters to draw from, wouldn’t sink to the garbage of X-Men 3 and mix and match characters with powers and names. Iron Man 2 needs to avoid another armored villain, yet they’re still half-assing it anyways.
March 13th, 2009 at 2:09 am
The buzz for Ledger started after he died…
March 13th, 2009 at 3:03 am
That’s adorable. Rourke was holding out to see if he won the Oscar. If he had won he wouldn’t have touched this with a 10foot pole. Luckily he didn’t win.
Scarlett Johansen is a rubbish actress. I was seriously so excited at the idea of Emily Bunt strutting around in a shiny PVC catsuit, heavy Russian dialogue pouring out of her hot wet mouth and uh…Jesus, I just came in pants.
March 13th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Milla Jovovich would be the perfect Black Widow. I have always seen her in that role.
March 13th, 2009 at 8:25 am
From Entertainment Weekly:
To me, there seems to be only one weak link: the just-confirmed Scarlett Johansson. Sure, she’s a fine actress given the right role and is guaranteed to look sultry in a skintight leathery costume. But her character, Black Widow, is a Russian spy. That’s right, Russian. The thought of Johansson attempting a Russian accent sends chills down my spine, PopWatchers, and not in a good way. It certainly doesn’t do Johnasson any favors that we’ve been imagining Emily Blunt in the role for quite some time (who had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts). Blunt surely would’ve killed and could have used the profile boost. But, I’ll look at this from a glass-half-full perspective: While Johansson has floundered in big-budget blockbusters (The Spirit or The Island, anyone?) in the past, this plum role is her chance to shine.
Buzz Buzz Neener Neener
March 13th, 2009 at 8:47 am
I will reserve judgement until I see the movie. You never know. Just like when Heath Ledger first got announced I recall all the “Brokeback Joker” jokes and everyone panning the decision in the comic community for the most part
March 13th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
ScarJo in the Widow’s leather getup? THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
March 14th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Some people here are misjudging Scarlett too much… and there’s too much hype about Rourke! C’mon people… worry not much of who’s playing who ‘coz these are great actors. Better hope they will be able to write a great screenplay and can sustain, or better heighten our anticipation for Part 3…
March 14th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
@ Eamon: No, there was already a great deal of hype building up around Ledger’s performance before his death. That, and the fascinating viral marketing that had already started up for TDK, had built up a lot of anticipation.