Robert Downey, Jr. is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly in order to promote his new Guy Ritchie-directed film Sherlock Holmes (due out in theaters on Xmas day). In his coverstory interview, RDJ talks about working on Sherlock and also talks a lot about his future plans … which don’t necessarily include acting anymore:

This week’s Entertainment Weekly takes a look at the martial-arts-filled new action movie Sherlock Holmes, a literary giant that Robert Downey Jr. and director Guy Ritchie are trying to make young again. As the star of the film, Downey has had time to hone his own deductive powers. When he stepped into the role of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Baker Street detective, Downey, along with British director Guy Ritchie was determined to give the iconic crime-fighter a unique stamp. Downey knows the stakes are high – he was cast hot off Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. At the time, he cheekily said of Holmes, “Clearly I’m going to do it better than it’s ever been done.” Today he’s a little more circumspect. “Holmes is a huge iconic character, and this is a really big movie.” He shrugs. “I’m just a guy.” Despite all the bells and whistles of a nearly $100 million budget, the makers of Sherlock Holmes insist their film is faithful to the detective’s roots as a supersleuth. “People think the movie is going to be, like, this modern punk-rock version where we’re all wearing high-tops,” says Jude Law, who stars as Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson. “It’s actually more true to the books than they’re guessing.” Ritchie, who listened to recordings of Holmes stories at his English boarding school as a boy, instantly saw the appeal of the project. “I loved the idea of an intellectual action hero,” says the director. At first, he wanted to relaunch Holmes with an origin story, but once Downey expressed interst, Ritchie fell in love with the idea of setting the actor loose in the criminal underwold of Victorian London. “It seems impossible now that anybody other than Rob could have played him,” Ritchie says. “He thinks like Sherlock Holmes, he’s complicated like Sherlock Holmes, and he can really brawl.” In the end Downey says portraying Holmes was as much an act of make-believe as playing a guy in a metal suit. “I’m very intuitive,” he says. “But playing Holmes, sometimes I’m just standing there trying to hopefully appear smarter than I am.” He laughs. “Some of it is really basic: You pick a point and just look at it and say what you’re saying – because what you’re saying is smarter shit than most people say.” Shooting on the London set was rather collision-free, but the biggest drama took place off the set, as Ritchie’s divorce from Madonna made headlines. Downey says Ritchie did his best to tune out the distractions. “Guy is a country gentleman,” he says. “He doesn’t want to occupy his mind with things that may be unpleasant or may get him riled up. He was just doing what he would have been doing regardless of the situation.” Ritchie describes his own way of dealing with the tabloid noise in four simple words: “Head down, arms swinging.” Ten years ago, Downey was bouncing in and out of jail and rehab, but now he reflects on the improbable spot he’s currently in – with Iron Man 2 set for release next May, a new comedy by the director of The Hangover, and a possible second major franchise with Holmes. “I have no set plans for my future,” Downey says. “I’ve never had it this good – this is my day in the sun – and I certainly don’t want to look a gift horse in the molars. But Susan [Downey, his wife] and I want to begin to be in our lives as much as we are in our jobs. I’d love just to sit here and say, ‘What movie’s playing tonight?’ I’d love to finish the new book about D-Day I’m reading. I love painting, I love music.” Sometimes, he says, he asks himself whether he even wants to keep acting. “I’m fucking really good at what I do – and have been for a long time, so I don’t waver on that,” he says. “But here’s the thing: I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don’t know, maybe a couple more times. It’s something I’m so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay.”

I cannot WAIT for this movie to come out. Ever since it was announced that RDJ would be playing Sherlock Holmes I’ve been counting down the days ’til the film’s release. I totally agree, I don’t think anyone else acting today could be called upon to play Sherlock as well as RDJ. He has a certain je ne sais quoi that lends itself to these types of movies … he has a comic timing that is pitch perfect and he really does have the acting chops to bring iconic characters to life as seemingly “regular” people. As for the fact that he may quit acting soon? Well, I’m not too worried about that. RDJ only takes on films that he knows he will do well … I contend that if more of those movie offers come his way, he’ll do them. He’s too good an actor to retire for good … I’m sure of it. As I mentioned above, Sherlock Holmes opens on December 25 … who’s excited with me?

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Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams have been recalled to the London, England set of the Guy Ritchie directed film Sherlock Holmes. It’s not entirely clear why reshoots for the film have been ordered but it’s generally not a good sign when a director has to reshoot scenes for the film. At least one good thing comes from these reshoots … the resurrection of Jude Law’s infamous Jude’stache:

It was a sad, sad day last May when I was forced to Peace the Spork Out the Jude’stache … so it’s nice to see it alive and well and back in action. Sure this Jude’stache is a fake Jude’stache worn only for the reshoots but it looks so much like the real Jude’stache that I don’t think we have any cause for complaint. Again, it is worrisome that Sherlock Holmes requires some reshoots — after all, X-Men Origins: Wolverine had the same problem, ordered some reshoots and, well, the movie still sucked. One hopes that these reshoots for Sherlock will make the film better and not worse. It is nice to see the gang in full costume again, if for only a short while. It wasn’t until I saw these new photos that I realized how much I missed the Jude’stache.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Now that Vampires are all the rage these days, it appears that someone got the bright idea to delve back into The Vampire Chronicles series written by the amazing Anne Rice in order to remake the movie Interview with the Vampire. As some of you may be well aware, Interview (which was written in 1976) was made into a movie in 1994 and starred Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt, Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Kirsten Dunst as Claudia. In the wake of the success of Twilight, True Blood and (presumably) The Vampire Diaries, the plan is to bring Anne Rice’s vampires back to the big screen. And get this … Robert Downey, Jr. is rumored to star as Lestat:

We’ve been scrambling all week to confirm the following report, especially since it came from a very reliable source and is insanely logical considering the popularity of vampires these days. I guess something good has come from the success of Twilight as Bloody Disgusting has learned exclusively that Universal Pictures is looking to restart Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, which tells the tale of the vampire Lestat Du Lioncort (through his narration), a nobleman-turned-vampire in the late 18th century. No word yet on how they plan on unrolling this franchise, but we did find out who they are talking with to replace Tom Cruise and Stuart Townsend. We have confirmed this afternoon that ROBERT DOWNEY JR. is in close talks to play the vampire Lestat in Universal Pictures’ The Vampire Chronicles, a newly rebooted franchise based on Anne Rice’s popular novels. Lestat appears as a major character in both motion picture adaptations of The Vampire Chronicles novels. In Neil Jordan’s 1994 film adaptation of Interview with the Vampire, he is portrayed by Tom Cruise. In the 2002 film adaptation of Queen of the Damned, he is played by Stuart Townsend. The Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman made into a vampire in the 18th century.

OOOOOOH I’m so on the fence about this. On the one hand, I love Anne Rice and pretty much all of her books. I’m a big fan of The Vampire Chronicles and have loved Interview with the Vampire for many, many years. When it was made into a movie, I was quite surprised at how much I liked the film. Mind you, it was made in the days before Tom Cruise went crazy and was still a respectable actor. Interview is one of my fave Brad Pitt films. The sequel, Queen of the Damned (starring Stuart Townsend as Lestat) was laughable. That it was Aaliyah’s final film role is so tragic … mainly because the movie is not good at all. I kinda don’t want Hollywood to eff up Anne Rice’s characters again … but the thought of RDJ as Lestat is VERY intriguing. I guess we should hold off on getting too excited until things are confirmed all around but … I dunno. I’d hate for Interview with the Vampire to be exploited just to cash in on the fervent vampire craze that is going on these days (after all, let’s not forget the TERRRRRRIBLE Broadway musical titled Lestat that seemingly opened and closed in the same week). If they do it, I hope they do it right.

UPDATE: In response to an inquiry made by a fan, Anne Rice herself has issued a statement on the rumors of this Interview remake:

I cannot confirm this story. The negotiations are entirely in the hands of my agents. I know they are always working on setting up my books with good motion picture prospects. But I do not have anything specific to say on the matter right now. I am optimistic that we will see good movies in the future based on the Vampire Chronicles. When I do have news to report, I will post it on my website. I thank you for your interest. I can certainly confirm that the film of Queen of the Damned was a terrible disappointment to me and to many of the readers. Thank you for your letter. Anne Rice.

No surprise here. Rice admitted back in the 90’s that she had no say in the casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat in the original film (tho, she did love his performance after the fact). I wonder if RDJ will speak on this matter in the days to come.

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Speaking at the panel discussion for his upcoming film Sherlock Holmes at 2009 San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, Robert Downey, Jr. revealed to fans that there may be some overt man-on-man “love” (ie. affection) going on in the film. While he didn’t go so far as to say that Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. John H. Watson would be lovers, he did reveal that the men are very, very close in the film … as a result of, what he calls, “circumstantial homosexuality”. Shoot, whatever he calls it … I’m all for it!

Will Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson be the latest bromance to hit Hollywood? Robert Downey Jr., who plays Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic fictional character opposite Jude Law’s Watson in Guy Ritchie’s remake of Sherlock Holmes thinks he and Law have some sexy chemistry together. “It’s called circumstantial homosexuality,” he jokingly told the press at Comic-Con Friday, after leading lady Rachel McAdams suggested the film’s central love story is really between the sleuth and his sidekick. The two actors took to each other even before Law signed on to the part. Downey was sent to meet his future costar and “sell” him on the role and “Jude walks down the hall and my assistant – who never cares about anything – is standing in the hall and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, there he is!’ He was dressed in that kind of fabulous, super expensive, under-dressed way. “I said, ‘Dude’ – and literally before he said he was going to do the movie, before he said that he was available, before he said that he either did or didn’t want to be courted, we just started talking like two serious actors about what would need to happen to make this work as a piece of straight drama. We just became really close really quickly, because we just rolled up our sleeves and started working from jump.” Downey said Law, who is currently performing Hamlet on stage in London, “is so the right arm of this movie.” But good thing for the ladies, the film isn’t just about male bonding. Downey shares some romantic moments with McAdams – but “not enough for my taste,” he said.

Oh man … how awesome is this. You gotta love actors that are secure enough in their manhood that they can willingly and believingly play male characters that show love and affection for one another without it necessarily being a gay lovestory. While I would have no problem with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson being lovers, that development doesn’t really jibe with the lore that we all know and love. That said, the men are very close and I’m happy to know that that closeness will be respected in the film version of the book series. I have full confidence that RDJ and Jude will do great justice to the beloved characters that they portray … and if they want to take the relationship to a bromantic level, who are we to argue?

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Last week we got our first look at Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the new film Iron Man 2 (due out in theaters next Spring) and today we get to check out another new photo of Scarlett as Romanoff along with new promo pics of the other characters in Iron Man 2 … including Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as Col. James Rhodey Rhodes and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. Here are the new promo pics along with some info on Iron Man 2’s presence at Comic-Con in San Diego, CA this weekend:

Mickey Rourke’s screams fill the empty basin of the Los Angeles River and spill into the midnight air. He’s having trouble with his Russian accent, which is turning the intended line from the Iron Man 2 script — “until you’ve lost everything” — into “Until you’ve lost every ting.” And the off-camera epithets are flying. After a half-dozen takes, he nails it. As he does after many scenes, Rourke beckons to his personal assistant — a round, unkempt guy known on set as “Superbad” because of his resemblance to actor Jonah Hill— who lights a smoke and puts it between Rourke’s lips. “Damn,” Rourke mutters, settling into a director’s chair. “That’s a tricky accent. But I wanted to be more than a one-note villain. That might have worked in the old comic-book movies, but not now. Not with these fans.” By “these” fans, Rourke means the 125,000 who will be awaiting him and dozens of other stars, filmmakers and TV producers who dare peddle their wares at Comic-Con, the nation’s largest convention of pop-culture junkies and self-proclaimed superhero nerds. The convention, which kicks off Wednesday night at the San Diego Convention Center, has become kind of an American Idol-style tryout for Hollywood. Since 2001, when 20th Century Fox trotted out its cast for X-Men, studios and networks have tried to dazzle the Twittering YouTube generation with celebrity glad-handing, sneak peeks and panel discussions. Of course, bringing your product to Comic-Con can be like singing for a room full of Simon Cowells. “This is about the toughest group there is to impress,” says Robert Downey Jr., reprising his role as playboy superhero Tony Stark. “They’re watching your footage, every one of them waiting to Twitter whether you suck.” … “You can’t underestimate how powerful this group is,” Favreau says. “It’s an unlimited press corps, all of them knowing how to communicate in a digital age. The geeks have inherited the Earth, and that’s good news for us.”

The raucous festivities at Comic-Con get underway tonight and will carry forth into the weekend. I have to say, as much fun as the superhero/sci-fi lovefest sounds I cannot, for the life of me, imagine that I would not have my head explode if I indulged. I never had the chance to attend Comic-Con when it wasn’t such a big deal … now that it’s the biggest deal ever, I can’t say that I have any interest in throwing myself into the fray. I’m sure that the legions of fans who are making their way to SD right now (and over the coming days) will have a blast … I will be just happy to watch from afar … and by “afar” I mean right here at home ;)

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Entertainment Weekly magazine scored a bit of a coup this week as they are able to feature the principal stars of the much-anticipated sequel Iron Man 2 on their cover this week. Additionally, EW is also giving us the exclusive first look at Scarlett Johansson in the role of Black Widow! Here is the cover of this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly that features Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Mickey Rourke):

Entertainment Weekly’s second annual Comic-Con preview issue features Iron Man 2 on the cover, and inside it’s packed with exclusive first looks at highly anticipated TV shows, comic books, and movies. The first Iron Man blasted Robert Downey Jr. back to stardom, and the superhero franchise is readying to return to the big screen on May 7, 2010. Iron Man will battle new villain Mickey Rourke, size up Scarlett Johansson (exclusive photo of ScarJo as Black Widow, after the jump!), and, hopefully, prove that the success of the first movie wasn’t a fluke. Downey knows the movie isn’t an underdog this time around. “There are a lot more invisible eyes on us now,” he says. When Marvel Studios first announced the sequel, no one was sure what the movie would be about. Downey, director Jon Favreau, screenwriter Justin Theroux, and the rest of the creative team struck upon the idea of introducing two very different foes for Stark. On one side is Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a fast-talking weapons manufacturer who fancies himself the next Tony Stark; on the other, Vanko, who, while incarcerated in a Russian prison, creates his own battle-suit, which shoots devastating, whip-like beams. Hammer and Whiplash join forces to take down Downey’s character, Tony Stark. Rourke, for his part, wanted to instill some lightness into the role of the heavy. “I told Favreau, ‘I don’t want to just play him as a one-dimensional p—-,’” he says. “He let me have a cockatoo, who I talk to and get drunk with while I’m making my suit.” Just as the deals were being hammered out, Terrence Howard — who had played Stark’s best friend — fell out of the sequel in a public salary dispute. The role was re-cast, with Don Cheadle stepping in. “We had to make some tough deals,” says Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. “When they got public, you go, ‘That sucks. Okay, you want a peek behind the curtain? Here you are!’” Says Cheadle, “Terrence and I couldn’t be more different. We address it head-on in the movie in one exchange. We’re not trying to fool people.” (Cheadle admits he didn’t know much about Marvel’s superhero before the first movie came out: “I always thought Iron Man was a robot.”)

It may seem a bit early to be featuring characters from Iron Man 2 on a magazine cover, especially since the film doesn’t open in theaters until Spring of next year, but with Comic-Con taking place in San Diego, CA next week it makes sense that EW would want to put a big name attraction on the cover. After the jump, check out the first promo pic of Scarlett as Black Widow that has been released to the media …

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Reese Witherspoon and her beau Jake Gyllenhaal joined Robert Downey, Jr. his son Indio Falconer and others for a private beach party in Malibu, CA yesterday afternoon. While GyllenSpoon did everything they could not to be photographed together (which makes absolutely no sense to me at all considering the many, many times we’ve seen them together), RDJ gave a very friendly wave and a hearty hello to the assembled photogs:

I really love the cut of Downey, Jr.’s jib. The man is always pretty easy-going about his fame and tends to be very friendly towards the attention that his celebrity gets him. You gotta love a celeb that embraces their fame rather than those that seem annoyed that they’re famous. While I’m sure the party was very fun, I bet I’d like hanging out with the very friendly RDJ rather than the usually crabby GyllenSpoon.

[Photo credit: Splash News]