Mickey Rourke sat down for in interview with Total Film (via ComicBookMovie) for their May edition and spoke about his role of Whiplash in Iron Man 2. Rourke said that he isn’t really a fan of big franchise movies, however he was a fan of what director Jon Favreau did with Iron Man, and liked that Robert Downey Jr. was ‘quirky’ as Tony Stark and wasn’t a stereotypical superhero “like Spider-Man, like Batman and all that shit.” (-10 fanboy points for Rourke there).

Anyhow, Rourke went on to talk about his training regime for the role….and then he kind of lets slip what happens to Whiplash at the end of the film…

Tell us about Whiplash’s costume…

The first time I had it on I had it on for four minutes and I was like, “Take it off!” The whole vest weighed about 40lbs and I could walk 25 steps and be exhausted. So what I did with my trainer was put on a 40lb weight vest and put the treadmill on uphill and we just worked out for two months. Whiplash uses electrodes as whips so I used wrist weights and my stunt co-ordinator Garrett Warren would come over and we would do a boxing workout with whips.

SPOILER TIME

Will Whiplash be popping up in any of the other Marvel films?
Well, the only thing I can tell you is that they had decided to kill me and we did film it with Gwyneth Paltrow. And then they came to New Mexico and re-shot it and now it’s left up in the air…

We’ll have to wait until May to see which version they go for. It would be cool if Whiplash appeared in The Avengers, and I guess they could be leaving the door open for Iron Man 3 too.

As expected a new trailer for Iron Man 2 was revealed by Robert Downey Jr. on Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Academy Awards yesterday and it also made its way online soon after. In this trailer we see a lot more of Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow, along with more footage of Whiplash attacking Tony Stark at the Monaco Grand Prix. We also get a glimpse of a new portable Iron Man suit.

With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances — and confront powerful enemies.

Iron Man 2 will be released on April 30th in the UK and May 7th in the US.

It’s about time we got a new one! According to Futon Critic Robert Downey Jr. will be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Academy Awards on Sunday, and he’ll be introducing the second trailer for Iron Man 2.

Host Jimmy Kimmel welcomes two-time Academy Award(R)-nominated Robert Downey Jr. and a musical performance by Grammy Award(R) winner Keith Urban to the fifth consecutive “Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Academy Awards”, SUNDAY, MARCH 7, immediately following the late local news (12:05-1:05 a.m., ET, approx). Downey will introduce the world premiere of the new “Iron Man 2? trailer only moments before Urban performs his new hit single, “Til Summer Comes Around,” from his 2009 album, “Defying Gravity.”

The trailer will no doubt make its way online at some point over the weekend, so keep your eyes peeled!

You can watch the first Iron Man 2 trailer below:

MSN France got their hands on an exclusive behind the scenes look at Iron Man 2. In the video (which is dubbed in French as expected) we see Jon Favreau, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke and Robert Downey Jr. talking about the Monaco Grand Prix scene where Whiplash unleashes his whips upon Tony Stark and his F1 car. There is also a short clip which shows Tony Stark talking to some officials (again in French) before entering a room which contains Mickey Rourke wearing very little.

Click here to watch the clip!

Over the past few weeks Universal has been busy hiring the leads for Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens, eventually signing Daniel Craig following Robert Downey Jr’s departure, and Tron Legacy actress Olivia Wilde. Now Universal has set a release date for the film: July 29, 2011.

Filming is expected to begin in June, which means Favreau will have hardly any time off after finishing up Iron Man 2. In the film we see what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies – cowboys and Native Americans – found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona. Craig will be playing a gunslinger who is joined by a woman named Ella (Wilde), and together they attempt to take on the alien invasion.

Last week we heard that Daniel Craig had officially signed on to star in Jon Favreau’s Cowboys and Aliens, and now we have news of another cast member who will be duelling extra-terrestrials in the Old West. According to Heat Vision House and Tron: Legacy actress Olivia Wilde is in negotiations to play the female lead:

Wilde will play a character named Ella who joins up with a mysterious gunslinger in an unlikely uprising against an alien invasion.

Craig is playing the gunslinger, taking over the role from Robert Downey Jr., who dropped out in January.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing and wrote the script with “Lost” co-creator Damon Lindelof. Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are also producing along with Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, who created the graphic novel upon which the movie is based.

Filming is expected to begin in June, and the sci-fi Western explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies — cowboys and Native Americans — found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona.

A few weeks ago it was reported that Daniel Craig was in talks to star in Jon Favreau’s Cowboys and Aliens, replacing Robert Downey Jr. who needed to keep himself avaliable for Sherlock Holmes 2. At the time we didn’t know how these negotiations would go, as Bond 23 found itself a director in Sam Mendes and work could have potentially begun as soon as MGM sorted out their finances.

Well according to Deadline Hollywood Craig closed a deal with DreamWorks and Universal this week, and he will begin filming his role of cowboy Zeke Jackson in June. In the film we see what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies – cowboys and Native Americans – found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona.

This news also means Bond 23 will probably start filming at the end of 2010 as we heard from Craig himself last year.

Earlier this week we got news that Robert Downey Jr. had dropped out of Jon Favreau’s Cowboys and Aliens because he has too many franchises on the go as it is, and apparently Sherlock Holmes 2 may be gearing up. This means they need a new leading man to play gunslinger Zeke Johnson, and according to Collider that man may be Daniel Craig.

Let me stress: “In negotiations” means that Craig has not been cast in the role. What it means is that they’re trying to work out a deal for him to star, but sometimes things don’t work out. Maybe the schedule for Bond 23 moves up or he decides to do a different project. Whatever the reason, let me stress once more: Daniel Craig is in negotiations for the role, but he has not been cast.

Favreau hopes to shoot Cowboys and Aliens in July, although we recently heard that Bond 23 may end up filming sometime this summer too. I guess we’ll have to wait until MGM sort out their financial situation over the upcoming weeks to find out their plans for Bond 23, and also whether Craig is free to film Cowboys and Aliens.

Last week we heard that Jon Favreau was aiming for a July start with Cowboys and Aliens, a film which explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies – cowboys and Native Americans – found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona. Robert Downey Jr. was going to be teaming up with his Iron Man director once again as gunslinger Zeke Jackson, however according to The L.A. Times Downey has had to drop out of film due to schedule conflicts (and because he’s realised he’s turning into a franchise whore).

The actor, who had been poised to reunite with “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau for the science-fiction western “Cowboys & Aliens,” won’t star in the film.

The movie, sources say, will still move forward with Favreau. But Downey has fallen off the project, and studio DreamWorks is seeking a new hero to replace him. Production is tentatively set to begin this year for a planned release in summer 2011.

Downey was set to play the gunslinger Zeke Jackson, who leads the anti-alien revolt.Cowb But scheduling issues — Downey’s been one of the busier actors in Hollywood — forced a re-think. The project would have marked a third potential franchise a resurgent Downey would have been involved with, after “Iron Man” and “Sherlock Holmes,” which is expected to spawn a sequel.

The reason for dropping out could be linked to Sherlock Holmes 2, which Warner Bros. may want to start developing as the film has made around $300 million worldwide so far.

The Incredible Hulk director Louis Letterier has spoken about The Avengers quite a lot in the past, with the topic mainly focusing on the involvement of The Hulk and the potential for the character to be the villain in the film.

Iron Man director Jon Favreau has ruled himself out as a candidate to direct, instead opting to produce, and this could leave the directors chair available for Letterier, who would be very willing to sit in it.

“I hope they don’t find a director before I’m available, because I’d love to take a crack at ['Avengers'],” Leterrier told MTV News. “It’s just an amazing universe, and to have everybody involved…”

“Jon Favreau would’ve been the best director to do this thing, but now that he’s a producing, I’d love to be able to work with him and continue what I started with ‘Hulk’ and what he started with ‘Iron Man’ and we do it together and continue that universe,” he said.

As for how likely that is to happen, Leterrier said he’s still contracted for a second film and has been chatting with Marvel whenever the opportunity arises. “It’s like an option,” he said of his Marvel movie deal. “I was optioned for two movies with Marvel. So every time I do a movie, like ‘Clash of the Titans’ for example, I say, ‘Guys, I’m about to do ‘Clash’ — so can I do it?’ And they say, ‘Yeah, we have nothing for you, so go ahead.’”

While Leterrier said he hasn’t sent anyone at Marvel a pitch for his “Avengers” vision at this point, the film isn’t far from his mind. “I love the Marvel universe,” he laughed. “I love those guys.”

I enjoyed The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans looks great so I would be happy for Letterier to direct. I don’t want to speak too soon though as Thor director Kenneth Branagh and Captain America director Joe Johnston still have to show their stuff first. They could very well be better. I think it would be great if all 5 directors could serve as producers or work with whoever ends up directing. We’d have a dream team both in front and behind the camera.