Sam Rockwell Confirms 'Iron Man 2' Appearance; Admits He Was Once Up For Tony Stark Lead

It’s true and confirmed. Sam Rockwell will appear in “Iron Man 2” as previously discussed. Geeks will rejoice and folks like us are happy that the franchise seems to be committed to keeping strong actors aboard to help suspend the disbelief and make these films tolerable, or even enjoyable in the case of “Iron Man” the original.

Rockwell told MTV he accepted the part and was briefly considered for Robert Downey Jr.’s lead character Tony Stark at one point. “[Jon Favreau] and I had a phone conversation about it, and then I didn’t hear anything and that was it,” he said.

Rockwell will play villain Justin Hammer. “They were like, we don’t have a script but this is the deal and this is the character,” the actor said, noting he took the role regardless. And why not. “I was a fan of the movie. My girlfriend was in the first ‘Iron Man,’ Leslie Bibb.”

Mickey Rourke has yet to officially confirm his involvement as Crimson Dynamo, but it sounds like it’s going to happen much to the glee of comic book film enthusiasts everywhere.