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How Comics Influenced Sam Rockwell's 'Iron Man 2' Character

Posted 5/7/10 11:01 am EST by in Marvel, Video


By now you know that in "Iron Man 2," Sam Rockwell plays Justin Hammer, a rival industrialist out to take down Tony Stark and his company. However, back when he was first announced for the role, comic fans were quick to note that the actor has little resemblance to his comics counterpart, a geriatric, skeletal villain fond of smoking robes, ascots and diabolical machinations.

Longtime readers will remember that Splash Page actually gave Rockwell his first look at the comic book version of Justin Hammer a year ago when we brought an issue of the "Iron Man" comic to an interview with the actor. (And if you were following me on Twitter, you might have played a role in picking out the comic I gave our interviewer for the chat.)

So, what did Rockwell take from comics' version of Hammer?

"I got the flamboyance of him in the comic book — the ascot and the smoking robe," Rockwell told MTV News. "We played around with that in the camera tests, but eventually we just sort of did our own thing." Read More...

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Sam Rockwell Joins 'Cowboys And Aliens' Cast

Posted 5/4/10 9:01 am EST by in News, Platinum Studios


Sam RockwellSam Rockwell will reteam with his "Iron Man 2" director, Jon Favreau later this summer on "Cowboys & Aliens."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rockwell has signed on to portray a bar owner named Doc who joins the fight against the aliens in the old west. The role was reportedly rewritten and expanded for Rockwell by "Cowboys & Aliens" screenwriters, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof.

Rockwell's "Iron Man 2" co-star Robert Downey Jr. had previously been attached to play the lead character, Zeke Johnson — a gunslinger who helps unite a tribe of Apache warriors and his fellow settlers against the alien invasion — before the role ultimately went to Daniel Craig ("Casino Royale"). Read More...

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New 'Iron Man 2' Photos: Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow And More!

Posted 12/15/09 8:01 pm EST by in Marvel, News, Photos


Just when it seemed like "Iron Man 2" news was hitting a lull, Paramount has released three (semi-)new images from the much-anticipated sequel.

Iron Man 2

Click on the photo above for our gallery of "Iron Man 2" images.

The new trio of photos feature a shot of Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer that we've seen versions of before, a new shot of Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and a photo of director Jon Favreau chatting it up with stars Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle.

Read More...

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Sam Rockwell Compares 'Iron Man 2' To 'Frost/Nixon' And 'The Green Mile'

Posted 11/24/09 5:23 pm EST by in Marvel, News


Sam Rockwell as Justin HammerOur week of exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers we're thankful for this year continues on MTV Movies with "Moon" star Sam Rockwell — who also happens to have a big role in next year's much-anticipated "Iron Man 2" as billionaire weapons dealer Justin Hammer.

Last time we spoke with Rockwell, he told us about his character's involvement in the creation of the War Machine armor, as well as his sources of inspiration for the character (hint: they weren't found in the comics). This time around, Rockwell followed up discussion of potential Oscar buzz surrounding his role in the indie sci-fi flick "Moon" with a bit more insight into "Iron Man 2" production.

"On 'Frost/Nixon' or 'Green Mile,' we all felt like, 'This is a big deal!' On 'Iron Man [2],' it did feel like a big deal at first, but we got very comfortable very quickly," Rockwell told MTV News. "Maybe because I knew Jon Favreau and we had done 'Made,' which was a smaller movie, and Justin Theroux was writing it, who's a friend of mine, there was a lot of improvisation. It was a very loose environment." Read More...

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EXCLUSIVE: Sam Rockwell Explains What Inspired His 'Iron Man 2' Character

Posted 11/5/09 7:11 pm EST by in Marvel, News, Video


Way back in May, we gave actor Sam Rockwell one of his first looks at Justin Hammer, his "Iron Man 2" character, when we gave him an issue of the comic book during an interview that occurred a few months after he was cast in the blockbuster sequel. When MTV Movies Editor Josh Horowitz recently sat down with Rockwell, he was able to offer us a bit more info about his character—specifically, his relationship with Don Cheadle's character, James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

He also revealed what sort of research he did after that earlier meeting and where he drew his inspiration for Tony Stark's rival.



"I got some research—they sent me over some stuff," Rockwell told MTV News. "I looked it over and that was about it." Read More...

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EXCLUSIVE: Sam Rockwell Describes His War Machine Team-Up With Don Cheadle In 'Iron Man 2'

Posted 11/3/09 4:01 pm EST by in Hot Stuff, Marvel, News, Video


Yesterday, we brought you an update from Don Cheadle about his experiences in the War Machine armor during "Iron Man 2," but today we a few more, exclusive details to share about the much-anticipated debut of the armor Tony Stark isn't wearing in the film (as far as we know).

When "Iron Man 2" actor Sam Rockwell dropped by Splash Page HQ recently, we asked him about the relationship between his character (rival industrialist Justin Hammer) and Don Cheadle's character (Stark's military buddy James "Rhodey" Rhodes). After all, they seemed pretty chummy in the "Iron Man 2" trailer that premiered during Comic-Con in San Diego this year.



"Don and I, we're working together," said Rockwell of the pair's relationship. "He works with me in spite of some of my personality flaws." Read More...

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New 'Iron Man 2' Photo: Sam Rockwell As Justin Hammer

Posted 8/20/09 11:12 am EST by in Marvel, News


Iron Man 2Last time we heard from "Iron Man 2" actor Sam Rockwell, he was promising a team-up between his character, weapons dealer Justin Hammer, and Mickey Rourke's tendril-wielding powerhouse, Whiplash.

Now, after catching glimpses of Rockwell in character during the "Iron Man 2" San Diego Comic-Con footage and earlier stills that hit the 'Net, we get another peek at Justin Hammer. SuperHeroHype has the full version of the new image, which seems to show Hammer offering a testimony before the U.S. government—likely the same scene in which Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) defends his ownership of the Iron Man armor.

Now that we've seen photos of "Iron Man 2" stars Rockwell, Rourke, Downey, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, what's left? Well, there are still those images of War Machine revealed during Comic-Con that have yet to see wide release... and possibly a more armored version of Whiplash?

What do you think of the new "Iron Man 2" photo? Sound off in the comment section or on Twitter!

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Sam Rockwell Promises 'Iron Man 2' Team-Up For Justin Hammer And Whiplash

Posted 8/12/09 9:02 am EST by in Marvel, News, Video


There's no shortage of nemeses for Tony Stark to wrestle with when "Iron Man 2" hits theaters next year -- and while Sam Rockwell's war profiteering villain Justin Hammer isn't as physically threatening as some of the film's other bad guys, he shouldn't be considered any less dangerous.

Speaking with MTV News about his character in the Jon Favreau-directed film, Rockwell confirmed what has long been assumed but has yet to be discussed at length—that the nefarious Hammer will not only share scenes with Mickey Rourke's Whiplash character, but they'll actually join forces against Iron Man himself.



"The closest I can come to [describing our characters' relationship] is maybe Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle in 'Young Frankenstein,' or Abbott and Costello," Rockwell half-kiddingly explained. "I'm sort of a fast-talking arms dealer and Mickey's a weapons maker, so he's a very dangerous man—he's been in the joint. And I've got the money. So we team up together to get [Stark]." Read More...

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Comic-Con: Sam Rockwell On 'Reinventing' Justin Hammer For 'Iron Man 2'

Posted 7/26/09 4:01 pm EST by in Comic-Con, Marvel, News, Video


Sure, everyone's talking about the debut of War Machine in "Iron Man 2" right now, but fans know there's another important character making his big-screen bow in the Marvel movie universe soon. Sam Rockwell will bring Tony Stark's billionaire nemesis, Justin Hammer, to life in the much-anticipated sequel -- and Comic-Con attendees got their first look at Rockwell as Hammer during Saturday's panel.

We caught up with the actor to discuss his take on Hammer, and to find out if he's been reading the issue of "Iron Man" we gave him back in May.



"We're kind of reinventing the character of Justin Hammer a little bit," Rockwell told MTV News. "I walked into a lot of comic book shops and even some comic book store owners didn't know who he was. So, it's not as much pressure as playing Iron Man obviously, that's like playing Elvis Presley or something. With Justin Hammer is a little more elbow room for interpretation."

What do you think of Rockwell's thoughts on Justin Hammer? Let us know in the comment section!

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Sam Rockwell Describes New Look For His 'Iron Man 2’ Character, Hints At 'A Lot Of Improv'

Posted 5/5/09 10:24 am EST by in Marvel, News


Sam RockwellActor Sam Rockwell was in town last week for the Tribeca Film Festival debut of his science-fiction thriller "Moon," but given the chance to chat, we had to ask a few questions about another little film he's working on these days -- namely, "Iron Man 2."

Originally announced way back in January, Rockwell will be playing the role of Justin Hammer, a rival industrialist attempting to bring down Robert Downey Jr.'s "Iron Man," Tony Stark. While the actor hasn't been able to share many details about the much-anticipated sequel thus far, we did get an answer to one of the questions on many comic book fans' minds: Will his character in the film be made to look like the white-haired, geriatric Justin Hammer of the comics?

"They wanted to go with a rival for Tony Stark who is closer to his age, and make him American," Rockwell told MTV News of the new look for the Marvel villain. Read More...

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Splash Page welcomes Ed Tadem to our cover artist family (our custom-designed theme up top). Currently working on the forthcoming "Avengers" animated series, Tadem's work can also be seen in the "Jackie Karma" issues of Image's "'76," and in "Pop Gun, Volume 1." Ed Tadem can be found online at EdTadem.com.
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