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...
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...
Last 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!
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...
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!
Actor 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...
By Josh Wigler
Another day, another reason to join Twitter. "Iron Man 2" director Jon Favreau has updated his Twitter page several times over the last week with news from the superhero sequel, revealing that rehearsals have begun and posting an image of actor Sam Rockwell getting ready for his role in the film.
"Great rehearsal today with Gwyneth, RDJ and Don Cheadle," Favreau wrote on March 24. Just yesterday, he added, "Rehearsed today with Mr. Rockwell."
Rockwell is expected to play Justin Hammer, a corporate rival of Tony Stark. Favreau even offered up a picture of Rockwell, which we've posted after the jump. Read more...
Lest you think comics haven't entered the conversation at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the MTV Movies crew tracked down recently announced "Iron Man 2" actor Sam Rockwell (who's bringing several films of his own to the festival) to find out how he's preparing for his role as Tony Stark's rival, Justin Hammer.
"There's not much I can tell you," Rockwell told MTV, adding that he's still waiting for a script. The actor indicated that a script will be especially important for his prep work, since he isn't too familiar with the character.
"I just found out that he's actually a character in the comics," admitted Rockwell. "I didn't realize that." Read more...
Earlier this month, we brought you word that Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke were in talks to appear in "Iron Man 2" -- possibly as the pair of villains Justin Hammer and the Crimson Dynamo. Now, Rockwell is ready to talk about his confirmed turn toward super-villainy and expressed excitement in an exclusive interview with MTV News.
According to Rockwell, "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau originally considered casting him for the role of Tony Stark in the first film, but he's now on board to appear as Justin Hammer, a staunch corporate rival for Stark, in “Iron Man 2.”
"We had a phone conversation about it, and then I didn’t hear anything and that was it," Rockwell told MTV of early conversations regarding the part that eventually went to Robert Downey Jr. One blockbuster film later, the phone conversation was accompanied by an offer to play Hammer, and Rockwell accepted. Read more...
"Iron Man 2" casting news was all over the 'Net last night, with various reports claiming that Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke were in talks to play villains in the upcoming sequel to last year's blockbuster film -- but which characters are they in talks to play?
Conflicting reports from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter had Rourke playing either Crimson Dynamo, the Russian equivalent to Iron Man, or Whiplash, an assassin who uses tech-enhanced tendrils to dispatch his targets. The Hollywood Reporter also claimed Rockwell was in talks to play Justin Hammer, described in the report as "a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist Anthony Stark," while Variety made no mention of the character Rockwell might be attached to in the project.
So, where does the truth lie, and how do they all fit together in the Iron Man universe? Let's do the detective work and break down some of the likely arrangements and storylines, shall we? Beware, though -- there might be spoilers! Read more...
