Paltrow in Iron Man?!

I gotta give some props to Jon Favreau – this is some cast he’s putting together for IRON MAN. Paramount and Marvel today announce that Gwyneth Paltrow has signed on to co-star as Pepper Potts, secretary and love interest to Iron Man’s alter ego Tony Stark. So far three actors – Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard and Paltrow – and all of them are Oscar nominees (Paltrow winning for SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE). Rachel McAdams had been one of the actresses rumored to be in the running but Marvel had been holding out for “someone like Gwyneth Paltrow” and when it became known she might be interested, the deal happened rather quickly. For what it’s worth, Paltrow doesn’t physically seem like a perfect match for the “pug-nosed, freckle-faced” Girl Friday with auburn hair. But Paltrow’s nothing if not a great actress and I’m sure she’ll make the part her own. It’s almost hard to believe that after years and years in development hell, IRON MAN is actually going to start filming in just two months. Should be a fun ride as things pick up (and Comic Con ’07 certainly is heating up…).