Rourke Signs Russian Villian Role For 'Iron Man 2'

ICM has scored its second casting deal for Marvel's Iron Man 2. After at first being low-balled by the studio to the tune of $250K, Rourke has signed on for the role of the Russian villain in the sequel after his agent David Unger got the quote up to a "significant" level despite this punishing economic climate where the studios are taking advantage of talent.

But don't expect Marvel to confirm any of this: they won't until all the i's are dotted and t's crossed on the contracts. Sony was considering hiring Mickey to play the villain in Spider-Man 4. Rourke happens to be in Russia this week promoting Fox Searchlight's The Wrestler, and he'll start researching his new role immediately there.

Marvel did the same thing to ICM's Toni Howard client Samuel L. Jackson. The studio low-balled him, but then eventually came up a lot and locked in a long-term commitment for Jackson to play Nick Fury in as many as 9 Marvel films, including Iron Man 2.

Source: DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com