Marvel Productions wants Mickey Rourke for the role of the villain in “Iron Man 2.” However, times being what they are, they don’t want to pay Rourke’s asking price. Now, reports are circulating that Marvel is waiting until Sunday night to make Rourke an offer. Why Sunday night? Because it’s the Oscars.
If Rourke picks up the best actor award for his role in “The Wrestler,” Marvel will reportedly meet his asking price. If Rourke goes home empty handed, he also may lose the role in “Iron Man 2.”
This has happened to Rourke before. Sylvester Stallone wanted Rourke for his remake of “Get Carter.” Warner Bros. didn’t. Stallone stepped up and personally paid part of Rourke’s salary to guarantee he would be in the movie. (Not that it helped the movie.) Will that happen again? Will Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow and Jon Favreau dig deep to land Rourke? I guess we’ll have to wait until Sunday.