Mickey Rourke Not Doing Iron Man 2?

Mickey Rourke Not Doing Iron Man 2?

Source: New York Magazine

February 18, 2009

Mickey Rourke has told New York Magazine that it's looking like he won't be playing the villain in Iron Man 2:

But so what if ICM's David Unger doesn't look good in a dress — at least he's battling Marvel for a bigger paycheck for Rourke for his rumored role as a villain in Iron Man 2, right? "Right now, we're not doing Iron Man 2," Rourke told us grimly.

In January, the news broke that Marvel had offered the award-winning "Wrestler" star just $250,000 to play a villain in the sequel. Perhaps further negotiations didn't go so well? Also, Rourke is now firmly attached to star in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, which starts shooting shortly and might interfere with the Iron Man 2 shoot.

Stay tuned for possibly more on this...

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Obama Gets Us Out Of War, Liked Promised.... NOT

Obama approves Afghanistan troop increase

• Story Highlights
• NEW: Goal is to have enough troops to "seize and hold" territory, maintain security
  
• NEW: Troops will train Afghan units, set up bases and smaller combat outposts
  
• Obama: Afghanistan has not received required attention, direction and resources
  
• 8,000 Marines to come from Camp Lejeune, 4,000 Army troops from Fort Lewis
  

From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama has approved a significant troop increase for Afghanistan, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

The new troop deployment is expected to include 8,000 Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, as well as 4,000 additional Army troops from Fort Lewis, Washington.

"This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires," Obama said in a written statement.

"The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan, and al Qaeda supports the insurgency and threatens America from its safe haven along the Pakistani border." See what CNN's Barbara Starr says about the increase on the AC360 blog

Another 5,000 troops will be deployed at a later date to support combat troops, bringing the total to 17,000 the Defense Department said. A senior administration official confirmed the total.

The Obama administration has been conducting several reviews of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, including a review by Gen. David Petraeus, the commander in the region. The president and the Pentagon have been considering a request from the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, to send as many as 30,000 additional troops.

Obama said the troop increase in Afghanistan would be made possible in part by the impending troop drawdown in Iraq. View a chart of U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan »

All 17,000 troops announced Tuesday will go to the southern region of the country where Afghanistan borders Pakistan, with the goal mainly being to stop the flow of foreign fighters, according to a U.S. military official with direct knowledge of the deployment and military plans for Afghanistan.

The troops will also train Afghan army units.

The military operations will set up a string of bases and smaller combat outposts, allowing the troops to move around and engage in counterterrorism against foreign fighters and counterinsurgency operations against the Taliban and other local enemies, the official said.

The goal is to have enough troops to "seize and hold" territory and maintain basic security, which hasn't been possible under current troop levels, the official said. The Taliban continues to maintain at least half a dozen safe areas inside Afghanistan, which are prime targets for the U.S. military.

About 38,000 U.S. troops are currently serving in Afghanistan.

The increased troop levels are expected to last three to four years, the military official said.

However, the administration official said there was no clear timeline. "That would prejudge the outcome of the strategic review," the senior administration official said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the original mission in Afghanistan was "too broad" and needs to be more "realistic and focused" for the United States to succeed.

"If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of central Asian Valhalla over there, we will lose, because nobody in the world has that kind of time, patience and money," Gates said during a recent Senate hearing.

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Scarlett Johansson to Star in Iron Man 2?

Scarlett Johansson to Star in Iron Man 2?

Source: Entertainment Weekly

February 14, 2009

Entertainment Weekly is reporting the rumor that Scarlett Johansson is in discussions with Marvel Studios to replace Emily Blunt for the role of Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff, who doubles as Black Widow, in Iron Man 2.

Blunt's commitment to 20th Century Fox and the studio's upcoming Gulliver's Travels may prohibit her from co-starring in the superhero sequel.

Marvel will not confirm, but sources tell EW that Johansson has indeed met with the filmmakers and is interested in taking the role. Blunt's reps are still trying to make both projects work, but "Gulliver's" is further along, with a start date of April 15. Iron Man 2 still doesn't have a shooting script and a start date has not yet been determined.

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Steve Oedekerk Stretching Armstrong

Steve Oedekerk Stretching Armstrong

Source: Variety

February 12, 2009

Universal Pictures has set Bruce Almighty screenwriter Steve Oedekerk to write Stretch Armstrong, a superhero comedy based on the Hasbro-owned toy, reports Variety.

Hasbro's Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir will produce "Stretch Armstrong."

The toy, a 13-inch, blond-haired muscled figure whose limbs could be stretched to nearly four feet, was launched by Kenner in the '70s. He had a dog named Fetch Armstrong, and a sibling, Evil X-Ray Wretch Armstrong. Attempts to turn him into a movie stretch back to 1998, when Disney tried to make the film with Danny DeVito and later Jackie Chan.

Hasbro's Goldner reacquired the rights, and Oedekerk is starting from scratch. He has most recently been working on a sequel to Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, writing, directing and starring in the martial-arts spoof.

The studio and Hasbro are also readying movie transformations of Monopoly (a potential Ridley Scott directing vehicle), Candy Land (with Etan Cohen scripting and Kevin Lima directing), and Ouija (being developed by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes).

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Transformers Moved Up Two Days

Transformers Moved Up Two Days

Source: Paramount Pictures

February 12, 2009

Paramount Pictures has moved up the release date for director Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in conventional and IMAX theaters two days to June 24th.

The sequel stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Benjamin Hickey, Ramon Rodriguez, Isabel Lucas and John Turturro.

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Nightmare on Elm Street Relaunch Gets Its Director!

Nightmare on Elm Street Relaunch Gets Its Director!

Source: Risky Business

February 12, 2009

The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Business Blog has gotten early word on who will be helming the Platinum Dunes remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street and it's none other than music video director Samuel Bayer, the man responsible for MTV's introduction to grunge in the form of Nirvana's award-winning "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video.

No word on when production will start on the movie that was being scripted by Wesley Strick (Arachnophobia), but Bayer is also slated to helm the Platinum Dunes thriller Fiasco Heights according to the story, which you can read here.

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Dimension Developing Untitled Social Networking Thriller

Dimension Developing Untitled Social Networking Thriller

Source: The Weinstein Company

February 11, 2009

Dimension Films is developing an untitled thriller based on an original idea from actress Sara Rue ("Less Than Perfect") and producing partner Robert Green ("Spaced"). Rue and Green will produce and T.S. Faull (Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story) will write the script. The announcement was made today by Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company (TWC).

While the specifics of the storyline are being kept under close wraps, the story is a high school thriller in the vein of Ten Little Indians that involves a teen social networking site.

"Online social networking is a widespread phenomenon that interests me greatly," said Weinstein. "Combining it with a suspense thriller is a new and fresh way to explore this new trend."

"Sara and I are elated to be launching our new company with this project,"' said Green. "We are even more thrilled to be working with a company that understands the teen horror/thriller genre better than any other. Their passion and track record made getting into business with them a no brainer."

"Social networking is alluring but one always takes a risk when engaging on these sites," said Faull. "Online identities can be deceptive and the script will center on a social networking situation with truly dangerous consequences. I look forward to working with Dimension and the producers on bringing this story and its teen characters to life on the big screen."

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