Back in March we learned that Mickey Rourke, the Comeback Kid, had traveled to Russia to prepare for his role as Ivan Vanko (Whiplash) in the upcoming sequel film Iron Man 2 and then in early May we got our first look at the first photo from the film (Tony Stark chillin’ in his Iron Man laboratory). Today we get to see the second photo released from the film and our first look at Rourke in full costume as Whiplash … behold:

In Iron Man 2, the scarlet and golden-metaled hero must face an adversary with some amazing gadgets of his own. Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) sports a power pack on his chest that looks similar to the one that Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) uses. “The technologies are definitely related,” says director Jon Favreau. “That’s part of the core theme of the film.” The villain’s alter ego, Ivan Vanko, is a Russian who “has constructed his own version of a suit,” Favreau says. Among the creative innovations: a pair of whips, powered by the suit’s glowing chest piece, that are expected to keep Iron Man cracking. Whiplash “is going to light them up,” Rourke quips. This first image of the character shows Whiplash making an appearance at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. Favreau as usual is tight-lipped about plot points and declines to discuss whether the big-screen Whiplash is, as in the Marvel Comics, a weapons designer who works for Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a competitor of Tony Stark/Iron Man. “We like to play into and against the expectations that people might have, so we mixed it up a bit,” Favreau says. Rourke’s performances in Sin City and The Wrestler helped convince the director that the actor was the best candidate to face Downey in his sequel to last spring’s blockbuster that grossed $318.4 million. “It was very important that the villain be as compelling as can be. … Once I thought of Mickey in that role, it made me understand how to shape the story.”

Hahahaha … the pic is kinda cool but I’m not sure I quite see Whiplash just yet. All I see is The Wrestler wearing bondage gear. Mickey does have that gnarled look that makes him look like a badass … but until we can hear him speak or see him in action we won’t really get a good feel for his take on the character. Even still … I’m loving that director Jon Favreau loves to release photos like this so early in production … the film doesn’t open in theaters until May of next year but we’re already getting photos like this. My guess is that if another “first look” photo gets released it’ll be of Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. So … what do y’all think of this photo of Whiplash?

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Altho the movie won’t be opening in theaters until May of 2010 (less than 12 months from now, on 050710 to be exact), we get our first look today at the first teaser poster for Iron Man 2 which has been unveiled at the Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas, NV that is going on this week. While the poster itself isn’t all too exciting, it does signal the start of the promo machine for Iron Man 2 that will, most likely, help the film do very well at the box office next year:

If I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if this photo was a left-over from the first Iron Man film but … I guess it’s never too early be begin promoting the big Summer blockbuster movie … even tho the current Summer blockbuster movie season has yet to really get underway.

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Robert Downey, Jr., who is currently in production for the sequel to the wildly successful Iron Man in Hollywood, CA, was spotted doing a bit of fight training with a professional on the set of Iron Man 2 earlier today. Here are a couple of pics:

It’s so hard for me to see RDJ as a tough guy. I know he does some fighting in Sherlock Holmes (which we got a peek at in the new just-released movie trailer) and it looks like he’ll be kickin’ butt in Iron Man 2 but … he’s a lover, not a fighter.

[Photo credit: X17]

Last Friday we got our first look at a new promo pic from the film Iron Man 2 (which just went into production a few weeks ago) which showed Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark in his superhero secret lair. Today we get to see photos of RDJ filming out in public as director Jon Favreau puts the comic hero in a funny situation. Earlier this week, Favreau posted a fun photo on his official Twitter profile of the comic hero filming a funny scene for the film … here it is:

It looks as if someone (Iron Man perhaps?) is taking a respite from the trials of crime fighting in order to indulge his sweet tooth. After the jump, check out a more zoomed in photo for a closer look …

USA Today has our first look at Iron Man 2 which just began filming about 3 weeks ago and is scheduled to open in theaters in May of 2010. Iron Man 2 takes place in the wake of Tony Stark‘s revelatory announcement made at the tail end of first movie that he is Iron Man … and the plot deals with the consequences of a superhero coming out of the closet, as it were. Here is the new pic of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark in his lab with a few Iron Man armored costumes lined up behind him:

Tony Stark is out of the superhero closet, and it’s no picnic. The sequel to last summer’s blockbuster, which began shooting three weeks ago and opens May 7, 2010, takes place six months after Stark revealed his identity as Iron Man, says director Jon Favreau. And the development is playing out with unexpected results. “How many superheroes are open about their true identities?” he asks. “We wanted to play with that idea. But it obviously has consequences — in his relationships, on the team. There are a lot of areas we can explore.” He hopes to have all other Iron Man 2 details locked down — even though he’s sending dispatches via Twitter from the set. “It’s never easy with summer movies, but we’re trying to keep as much a surprise as possible,” he says. That means no new dirt on replacing Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle, or how the crime-fighting team S.H.I.E.L.D. will ultimately come together. Or how he’ll work in new characters. Among those signed on for this go-round are Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. Favreau says that tackling the franchise a second time is easier because he knows the landscape. Something else would help, too: “I really enjoyed when we were a dark horse and no one knew much about us. … I hope we can find that place again.”

It never ceases to amaze me how early promo for a new film gets underway … the movie is a year away from opening in theaters and we’re already getting the first promo pic from the set. That said, as a rabid imbiber of any and all pop culture knowledge — I am happy to take any and everything they got to give. I absolutely loved everything about Iron Man and I have no doubt that the sequel will be just as good. John Favreau really made an excellent film and I’m sure he is working very diligently to get the sequel done right. It’s still very early, I don’t expect we’ll get much plot information for quite some time … but I’m happy with tidbits like this along the way. Favreau really understands the fan mentality … I know he will do us right.

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Earlier this week we got our first look at photos of Robert Downey, Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Gwyneth Paltrow reprising her role as Pepper Potts on the set of Iron Man 2, which began filming in SoCal on Monday. Today we get to check out a couple new photos of RDJ on the Iron Man 2 set … you may want to pay particular attention to the man’s footwear:

LOL. Those are some heels on those shoes, y’all. I imagine that the shoes are for scenes where RDJ‘s character needs to appear taller than he actually is. It was very nice of Tom Cruise to lend RDJ the shoes, don’t you think?

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow were photographed on the set of the sequel to the hugely popular film Iron Man yesterday on the first official day of filming. Director John Favreau has been Twittering about the first day of filming all weekend long and yesterday was the big day. Coincidentally (or intentionally?) yesterday was also RDJ‘s birthday … here are a couple pics of RDJ and Gwyneth (Tony Stark and Pepper Potts) on the set of Iron Man 2:

Yep, nothing too exciting just yet … but photos from the first day of shooting like this are never usually all that exciting. Favreau has also posted a few of his own photos from the first day of shooting to his Twitter profile (which you can see HERE) but, again, he offers nothing all that exciting just yet. But … Iron Man 2 is now officially in full swing production. And away we go …

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Golden Globe winning actor Mickey Rourke, who has just signed on to play the role of Iron Man villain Whiplash in the upcoming sequel, made his way to Russia last week to tour the grounds of the Butyrka Prison in Moscow in order to prepare for his comic book role. Here are a few photos of Mickey inside Butyrka Prison getting a feel for what it must be like to be a prisoner in Russia:

Less than a month after he capped a remarkable comeback with an appearance at the Oscars, Mickey Rourke spent three hours in a high security Russian prison. The American actor, who was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his turn in The Wrestler, visited the Butyrka prison in Moscow to research his latest role. Rourke has signed up to play Russian villain Whiplash in the upcoming sequel to comic book movie Iron Man, in which he’ll star alongside Robert Downey, Jr. In a bid to understand his character’s experiences, Rourke was given a guided tour around Butyrka prison on Friday. He was accompanied by guards during his visit and spent some time in the cells to get a feel for how the inmates live. Rourke even ate a prison meal and played table tennis with a guard. At one point when he lay down on an inmate’s bed, Rourke quipped: “My sofa seems much stiffer.” Butyrka prison was notorious during Stalinist times for its brutal conditions and thousands are believed to have been killed by firing squad there. The Iron Man sequel will also star Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Scarlett Johansson. It will be directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Jon Favreau.

HMMM … I somehow doubt that the Russian guards allow prisoners to wear bright blue designer loafers and sunglasses but, overall, it looks like he got the gist of being a Russian inmate. I have to say, I’m very glad that the rumors about Mickey getting the Whiplash role in the sequel turned out to be true … I think we all know at this point that he is a superb actor and will deffo bring much to the character. I’m less excited about the news that Scarlett Johansson will be appearing in the movie as well. In my estimation, Emily Blunt would’ve been a much better pick … but, sadly, that rumor did not pan out. In any event, we know that production has officially begun on Iron Man 2 and now that we know that Mickey has begun his movie prep things should be coming along very quickly from here on out. Woot!

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Here is our first look of the set of Iron Man 2 that has been released by director Jon Favreau this week. Hot on the heels of the news that both Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson have signed on to appear in the superhero sequel, Favreau released this photo with cinematographer Matthew Libatique on the set of Tony Stark‘s house that is in the process of being assembled for the film:

Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau has released this first photo of himself and cinematographer Matthew Libatique on the set for Tony Stark’s house, which is under construction. The anticipated sequel is scheduled to hit theaters on May 7, 2010.

And here we go … methinks that production and then filming of Iron Man 2 will be getting underway much sooner than we may anticipate. I remember when filming on Iron Man began and then a couple of blinks later, the movie was opening in theaters. Altho May 2010 is still over a year away I know it won’t be long before the finished product is upon us. Remember this first photo, it shant be long until we’ll be seeing much more substantial photos from the set of Iron Man 2.

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