After a lot of back and forth, Deadline Hollywood Daily has confirmed today that Mickey Rourke has officially signed on to play a villain in Iron Man 2:
I just heard that ICM has scored its second casting deal for Marvel’s Iron Man 2. 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 despite this punishing economic climate where the studios are taking advantage of talent. (No wonder Mickey kept thanking Unger so profusely in acceptance speeches for the BAFTA, Golden Globes, Spirit, and other awards.) But don’t expect Marvel to confirm any of this: they won’t until all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed on the contracts. I can also tell you that Sony was considering hiring Mickey to play the villain in Spider-Man 4.
Director Jon Favreau will start shooting Iron Man 2 very soon for a May 7, 2010 release date.
UPDATE: Variety adds that Rourke will play “Whiplash, a character that includes elements from that comicbook villain and Crimson Dynamo, another Russian baddie.” In related news, The Hollywood Reporter says the actor will also star in Mitch Glazer’s indie drama Passion Plays.
