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On Friday we learned straight from the horse’s mouth the official confirmation that the amazing Joss Whedon would be directing the big screen adaptation of The Avengers. Today we get to see the full principal cast of the film assembled all together at a panel for the film yesterday at 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. Here is our first look at the assembled cast of The Avengers on stage together yesterday afternoon:

As footage rolled of the Avengers’ logo, a big “A,” we heard Samuel L. Jackson’s voice: “Super heroes came together,” he bellowed, “the day the Avengers were formed.” Then they came out one by one. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Chris Evans as Captain America. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Mark Ruffallo as The Hulk. Joss Whedon as The Director. Downey calls this film more ambitious than Inception. Joss Whedon had tears in his eyes. He said, “I had a dream all my life and it wasn’t this good.” And 6500 hundred people in Hall H screamed from the very depths of their multiverse-loving souls. The Avengers had assembled. And just like that they were gone. After seeing the footage of Captain America and Thor they had a job to do: to prepare to shoot the greatest comic book movie in the history of time.

You will note that Mark Ruffalo is included in the cast as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, just like we heard he would be. Also included in this photo is Clark Gregg (sandwiched between Robert Downey, Jr. and Scarlett Johansson) who will play Agent Coulson (just like he did in Iron Man and Iron Man 2) and director Joss Whedon. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around the awesomeness assembled in this photo together. With Joss Whedon at the helm, the possibilities are endless for The Avengers to truly be the greatest superhero film of all time. After the jump, check out one more photo of The Avengers cast assembled on stage at Comic-Con yesterday afternoon …

With a little over a week left to go until the film opens in theaters, Iron Man 2 held its world premiere here in LA last night at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, CA. As you might expect, the main stars of IM2 were in attendance last night along with a few of their very famous friends. Here are a few photos from last night’s Iron Man 2 Hollywood premiere and some deets from Robert Downey, Jr. himself about what we can expect from this second installment of the Iron Man saga:

As a kid, Robert Downey Jr. never dressed up in superhero costumes. “Growing up? No,” says Downey Jr. “But in my mid-30s in Palm Springs right before an arrest? Yes. It was a premonition.” Although the actor is making light of his past struggles with drug abuse, what is no joke is Downey Jr’s success at resurrecting his acting career after overcoming a long addiction to heroin and cocaine. He made a stunning comeback as Tony Stark, an arrogant, hard drinking, wisecracking playboy engineer who also wrestles with his own personal demons in 2008′s big screen adaptation of the Marvel comic book series, “Iron Man.” Now, Downey Jr., 45, is back in “Iron Man 2″ along with plenty more action, characters and explosions. The film opens in much of Europe, Asia and Australia this week before hitting U.S. theaters on May 7. The parallels between Downey Jr. and Tony Stark were obvious in the original and are just as clear in the sequel. After five years of drug arrests culminating in a prison term in 2000, Downey Jr.’s return to Hollywood’s A-list post- “Iron Man” — including a Golden Globe award for his role in “Sherlock Holmes” — is not unlike Stark’s own rise in status after he reveals his dual identity as the armored superhero. “I think (Robert’s own success) informed the level of fame and resurgence that Tony Stark experiences since he announces that he’s Iron Man,” director Jon Favreau told reporters. In “Iron Man 2″, Stark himself is no longer making weapons — just saving the world and enjoying his rock star status. Except now the U.S. government insists that he hand over his superhero suit to the military. Stark refuses. Favreau likened the sequel to someone throwing another party after a successful first bash. “Iron Man” earned $585 million at worldwide box offices and the pressure was in making sure “this was going to be as fun or more fun than the last party,” he said. Putting together the sequel began soon after the first movie was released. With plenty of characters vying for a finite amount of screen time in the sequel, Favreau needed actors who could really “make an impression.” Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts, who Stark promotes from assistant to CEO of his Stark Industries. At the same time, Stark needs to solve the mystery behind new character, Russian villain Ivan Vanko, played by Mickey Rourke. Rounding out the new cast is Scarlett Johansson, sporting red hair as The Black Widow, and Sam Rockwell as weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer. Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard in the role of Lt. Col. James Rhodes. Rourke was enlisted to play Vanko (a.k.a Whiplash) as he was coming off his own career resurgence with Golden Globe and BAFTA best actor awards last year for “The Wrestler” … With this cast in place, Downey Jr. said he “felt a little bit like a co-manager of a baseball team that just got an even better line-up in the spring.”

And away we go. Now that the first premiere is in the can, the countdown is really underway for the release of Iron Man 2. As you may recall, IM2 was due to premiere in London first but due to the Icelandic volcano that has been disrupting European air travel, the first premiere was moved over here to LA. I suspect there will other premieres in NYC and London in the coming week … and then the film opens wide here in the US on May 7. I’ve been staying away from reading reviews so as not to spoil the film before I get to see it, but I’m hearing generally positive things about the sequel. I cannot wait to see this film for myself … I can hardly believe we are so close to its release.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

The principal cast of Iron Man 2 assembled at The Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, CA yesterday to appear at a press photocall to promote their new film:

In addition to posing for this lovely group shot, the individual castmembers — Robert Downey, Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyenth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col. James Rhodey Rhodes/War Machine), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko/Whiplash) and Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow) — each obliged the assembled photographers for individual shots as well. Check out those photos after the jump …

Robert Downey, Jr., who will be starring as Tony Stark/Iron Man in next month’s sequel film Iron Man 2, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Men’s Journal magazine. In this new issue, RDJ talks about his recent acting experiences as Sherlock Holmes and, naturally, talks a bit about stepping back into the Iron Man costume. Here is our first look at RDJ on the cover of Men’s Journal and some excerpts from his coverstory interview:

On advice for practicing Wing Chun, a martial arts discipline: “Seriously, don’t worry about looking like an idiot. It’s like life: The less self-conscious you are, the better it works. And remember, lots of ice and Advil afterward. Trust me on that one.”

On how Wing Chun helps him cope: “This is all about focus. Wing Chun teaches you what to concentrate on, whether you’re here or out in the world dealing with problems. It’s second nature for me now. I don’t even get to the point where there’s a problem.”

On being reluctant to punch a stuntman full in the mouth while filming Sherlock Holmes: “I was like, ‘I can’t or he’s not going to be able to play with his kids this weekend.’ And Guy (Ritchie) was basically saying, ‘He doesn’t have any kids.’ ”

On if he is worried about burnout from filming and promoting films: “You don’t worry about something that has already happened,” he says with resignation. “You don’t need to worry about your car breaking down when you’re already on the side of the street with the hood up. Worrying is done. The hubcaps have already come off going around the corners.”

On being an actor: “This is still art for commerce, at best. I consider myself to be a pain-in-the-ass artist who’s self-aware enough to still be tolerable. While I have a little bit of juice, I try not to rub it in anyone’s face, because it’s just disgusting. And I use the term ‘artist’ loosely.”

I have to say, RDJ is prolly my favorite actor right now. I know a lot of people are all ga-ga over Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt but I think I prefer Robert Downey, Jr. over all other actors. He can play serious, he can play funny … he can play seriously funny … and make it all seem totally effortless. If you think back to his troubled days in the 90′s, it’s amazing how well he’s turned his life around … I like that he is flawed and still very successful. He is the only person alive who could ever bring Tony Stark to life and I can’t WAIT to see him in Iron Man 2 next month! After the jump, check out a few photos from RDJ‘s Men’s Journal photospread and read a few quotes from some of his compatriots about RDJ‘s acting style …

Last night the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards were handed out in rainy SoCal at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA … and, I gotta say, the show did a pretty fantastic job with spreading the wealth to many deserved winners. No one movie or TV show ran away with all the awards … Dexter was the only TV series to win 2 awards while Avatar, Crazy Heart and Up were the only movies to win 2 awards as well (with the former film taking home the biggest movie awards of the night). Here are a few pics from the rainy red carpet arrivals last night:

I am *amazed* that the organizers of the Golden Globe Awards this year did not plan for the rain. We knew all week long that it was going to rain yesterday … hell, it even started raining early enough in the day to give folks the head’s up that they might want to plan for a wet red carpet and yet … there was no planning involved. Everyone on the red carpet, celebs and reporters alike, were just meandering around like wet lost sheep. How dreadful. Many of the celebs had to scramble to find umbrellas and people to hold their umbrella’s for them … only Mariah Carey came prepared with her very own personal valet/husband Nick Cannon who is always at the ready to hold her umbrella for her whenever she needs him. Such a good boy.

But, the show did go off without a hitch. Ricky Gervais, IMHO, wasn’t that great of a host but he did a passable job I thought. And as I mentioned earlier, I was very pleased with many of winners last night — save for just a few winners I did NOT agree with at all. After the jump, check out some photos from the show itself and find out who won and who I thought got robbed …

The producers of the big screen adaptation of Sherlock Holmes have come under fire by Andrea Plunket, the person who controls the US copyrights to the character Sherlock Holmes, because she feels that the movie presents the master sleuth and his able cohort Dr. John Watson a little bit too gay for her taste. Plunket has threatened to deny the rights to any future movies made by Guy Ritchie that star Robert Downey, Jr. (as Holmes) and Jude Law (as Watson) if they continue to allude to a homosexual relationship between the characters:

Plan to make “Sherlock Holmes” sequel has been put under fire due to homosexual hints. According to several sites, the executors of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary estate have threatened to withdraw Guy Ritchie’s rights to the Sherlock Holmes story if the director suggests that there is romantic relationship between the lead characters in his upcoming movie. Recently, Robert Downey Jr. appeared in “Late Show with David Letterman” and hinted at a homo erotic subtext in the relationship between his detective character and Jude Law’s Dr. Watson. During the interview, the 44-year-old let the audience to determine whether Holmes is “a very butch homosexual.” Infuriated by Downey Jr.’s statement, Andrea Plunket who controls the remaining U.S. copyrights to the Holmes story responded, “I hope this is just an example of Mr. Downey’s black sense of humor. It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future.” She then added, “I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books.” “Sherlock Holmes” [was released] in theaters across the U.S. on December 25. A month before it was released, Robert Downey Jr. has revealed that storyline for two sequels have been planned, saying “Between Guy [Ritchie] and me, the missus [producer Susan Levin] and Joel Silver [producer], we definitely know what we would like to do for the next two sequels.”

LOL. Now, not only are people being attacked for their sexual orientation but fictional characters are now being targeted because of their alluded to sexual orientations (which don’t even exist because they are fictional characters). I’m sorry, but I personally feel that Ms. Plunket sounds like a complete idiot with these comments. It sounds like she fears that the popularity of a literary character like Sherlock Holmes might be “marred” if he is perceived as gay. Does she really have so little faith in the popularity of such a giant literary character, one that has existed for many many decades? My guess is that the producers of a Holmes sequel will do whatever they can to placate the ridiculous fears of this person and will still present the very same characters they offered in the first film. Is this not the most ludicrous thing you’ve ever heard?

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Robert Downey, Jr., Guy Ritchie and Jude Law made quite a menage at the Metropolitan Club where the afterparty for the NYC premiere of Sherlock Holmes was held last night. As you may recall, these three dudes hung out all the time when they were bizzy filming this movie last year and last night they were practically inseparable as they celebrated their film’s release:

Yes, this bromance has been in the works for a long time. They look like trouble, don’t they? I’m very curious to see how their seemingly fun off-screen chemistry works on-screen in Sherlock Holmes.

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

Last night the principal stars of Sherlock Holmes — Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams — were joined by the film’s director, Guy Ritchie, for the world premiere of the film at Empire Leicester Square in London, England last night. While the stars glittered and gleamed on the red carpet, reviews of the film were slowly making themselves known … to mixed results. Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals last night and some deets about those mixed reviews:

“Sherlock Holmes,” the latest film incarnation of the quintessentially English detective, drew a mixed reaction from London critics on Tuesday who variously described it as a roaring success and a hack job. London hosted the world premiere late on Monday of director Guy Ritchie’s movie starring Robert Downey, Junior as Holmes and Jude Law as his sidekick Doctor Watson, though the excitement of the event was not quite matched by the newspaper reviews. The Times praised the performances of the two main leads, saying Downey was “terrific” and praising Ritchie for drawing “a career-best performance from Law” — but said their double act failed to carry “an overlong film”. The Guardian was more blunt, saying Downey played Holmes “with boggle-eyed hamminess… a cartoon with darting eyes rather than a brain” and Law was just “blank” in this “high-end hack work”. It accused Ritchie of being in a “muddle” over what he was trying to achieve, saying he airbrushed out Holmes’ drug use and failed in his attempt to update the lead characters’ relationship and that of Watson and his fiancee. Ritchie insisted he had a clear vision, telling a press conference on Monday he had been a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective since childhood “so I had a really strong vision of who Sherlock Holmes should be”. Many reviewers loved the film, however, including The Sun’s showbusiness correspondent who described it as a “roaring success”. Downey was “an exceptional Sherlock, who’s a clinical bare-knuckle fighter, hell-raising drinker and charmer”, he wrote, adding that Law was surprisingly convincing as a hardman. The Daily Telegraph described it as “undeniably a rollicking romp, an all-action blockbuster” led by a youthful Holmes that resembles a young Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist. “The pace rarely slackens throughout, the set pieces are explosive, the score relentlessly thunderous. Victorian London is recreated — relying on copious use of computer effects — with an eye for the grimy reality,” it said. The film’s producer, Joel Silver, who also worked with Ritchie on his previous movie “RocknRolla”, told reporters on Monday that Holmes was a “man of action” and they wanted to have fun with the main characters. “We invested ourselves in trying to make a contemporary movie that feels fresh and original but still embraces what Conan Doyle did. And I hope we succeeded,” he said. The film is released in the United States on December 25.

My guess is that the most negative reviews will come from ardent fans of the literary version of Sherlock Holmes and no movie will ever be able to live up to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s work … particularly if it was directed by Madonna‘s ex-husband. Look, books are one thing movies are another … never the twain shall meet. It is very rare that a movie can live up to the expectation of a good book but it does happen sometimes … but even then, the book will always be superior. The Sherlock Holmes character is rich for movie-making fun and I have every confidence that Robert Downey, Jr. will do a great job bringing the character to life. I’m not worried … even if it’s not the best movie of the year, I have no doubt that Sherlock Holmes will be very entertaining. I can’t wait to see it!

Oh and Jude, lose the dandy babushka around your neck, please!

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

Robert Downey, Jr., who will bring the famed literary character Sherlock Holmes to life on the big screen this Xmas, was hand for a special ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. yesterday. RDJ imprinted his hand and footprints into cement along with his autograph for immortalization on H’wood Blvd. Here are a few photos:

Robert Downey, Jr. doesn’t turn off the entertaining gene even when he’s being honored. The “Sherlock Holmes” and “Iron Man” star hammed it up and hunkered down to leave his hand and footprints in the cement in front of Hollywood’s famed Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Monday, Dec. 7. Also on hand to support the 44-year-old was his mother Elsie and wife Susan. Downey has received two Oscar nominations, one for his lead role in “Chaplin” and another for a supporting turn in “Tropic Thunder.”

Interestingly enough, Charlie Chaplin who RDJ played in the film Chaplin also has his hand and footprints imprinted in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. It’s really fantastic to see RDJ enjoying so much success these days … it is much deserved, especially after all of the work he’s done cleaning up his act. An honor like this couldn’t have happened to a more deserving (or wackier) person. Congrats!!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

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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