IRON MAN 2 casting!!! Rourke… IN!, Blunt… OUT!, Johansson… IN? by COOP

Finally, some official word on this see-saw of a story. Best Actor Nominee Mickey Rourke has been jerked around for months by Marvel Studios who was low\balling him (money-wise) after offering a choice villain role in the next “Iron Man” movie. The hammer finally came down and Rourke, after cryptically quoting “You bet your ass!” to a paparazzo after he was asked if he would indeed take the role, has accepted after finally receiving a fair studio deal. Now comes the new speculation…

Which “Russian” villain? Will it be “The Crimson Dynamo” (the popular choice)…

Or perhaps the “Titanium Man” (my personal fave)…

Or the least popular, yet strangely rumored “Whiplash?”…

I hate the S&M idea. I wanna see Iron Pants fight armored Russians.

Meanwhile, Emily Blunt has bowed out of the role of heroic Russian super-spy, “The Black Widow.”

A decent choice, although her replacement (Scarlett Johansson) has lost a lot of Hollywood cred with her severe overexposure, her recent talent for appearing in crappy movies (”The Spirit” & “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”… Ok, cat’s out of the bag. I HATED that pretentious faux-hip-European bohemian flick. Maybe if I learn to scream like a harpy in Spanish, I can win an Oscar like Penelope Cruz. Wait, what’s the rule on proper use parentheses?), and being Woody Allen’s new robot toy.

“Black Widow” must have class. Blunt has(had) it. Johansson HAD it, but gave it up to play vapid tarts. At least she’ll look good in spandex:

Whatever happens, I’m rooting for whatever is best for the franchise. After the first “Iron Man,” I trust Director John Favreau to make the right decisions. Cause if he doesn’t…

-Coop