After resuscitating the career of Robert Downey, Jr., the IRON MAN franchise is looking to do the same with another former down-and-out star. Mickey Rourke is in talks to star as the lead villain in IRON MAN 2 for director Jon Favreau. While no in involved with the production would confirm it, Variety is reporting that Rourke's villain would be Crimson Dynamo. There are too many Crimson Dymano's to count but the general theme will be that Rourke will play a Russian equivalent of Tony Stark who builds himself a nuclear-powered suit.
Also in talks to join IRON MAN is Sam Rockwell, who will also be playing a villain in the film (though the identity of the secondary villain is unclear). Justin Theroux (TROPIC THUNDER) is currently working on the script with Jon Favreau. Already set for the film are Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle who stepped in to replace the departed Terrence Howard. I don't know about you but this pretty much makes IRON MAN 2 even more of a must-see than it already was.
UPDATE - The plot thickens... The Hollywood Reporter is chiming in saying that Rourke isn't playing a Russian Crimson Dynamo at all, that he'll instead be Whiplash, a former Stark Industries engineer who develops two cybernetically controlled whips. They also add that Sam Rockwell will be playing Justin Hammer, a rival of Tony Stark's who steps in to sell weapons as Stark (at the end of IRON MAN) backs out of that business. So who's got the right story? Stay tuned as it develops...
As previously stated, there have been numerous Crimson Dynamos throughout the years so continuity shouldn't be a problem. And from the description, it doesn't sound like any Dynamo we've ever seen. He's buff and decked out in tats (so he's kinda like Mickey Rourke...). This is how his powers are described on the Wikipedia page:
The Crimson Dynamo wears an armored battle-suit that serves as an exoskeleton, providing the wearer with superhuman strength and durability. The suit's outer layer was composed of a carborundum matrix alloy, and is equipped with: hand-blasters that can fire high-frequency electrical bolts; small missiles contained in the back shoulder area of the battle-suit; computers and radio transmitter and receiver; boot jets that allow flight. Subsequent versions of the battle-suit have featured upgrades of various kinds, by the Gremlin and other Russian scientists. As Crimson Dynamo, Valentin Shatalov's version of the armor was equipped with a powerful chest-mounted fusion-caster weapon.
Extra Tidbit:
So who exactly IS Sam Rockwell playing? And before you suggest Mandarin, Favreau has said not to expect him until the third film...
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12:36PM on 01/10/2009