Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke will play the Russian villain Whiplash. The deal came through after intense negotiations, with Rourke managing to up Marvel Entertainment’s $250,000 offer.

Scarlet Johansson will play the role of the Black Widow in Iron Man 2.

Iron Man 2 will be released in early 2010.

Variety has reported that that Robert Downey Jr. convinced Mickey Rourke to sign up for Iron Man 2, on the awards circuit.

Mickey Rourke was nominated for the 2009 Golden Globe Best Actor award and the 2009 Oscar Best Actor award for his role in the movie, The Wrestler. Rourke won the 2009 Golden Globe Best Actor award for the movie.

Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for the 2009 Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor award and the 2009 Oscar Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Tropic Thunder.

Apparently, in a discussion with Newsweek when Frank Langella and Anne Hathaway were also present, Robert Downey Jr. asked Mickey Rourke to accept Whiplash’s role in Iron Man 2.

Photo: Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger in 9½ Weeks

56-year-old Mickey Rourke started out as a boxer. After repeated injuries, he took time off the boxing ring, and ventured into acting. Rourke has acted in movies, such as 9½ Weeks, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Rumble Fish, Year of the Dragon, Barfly, Angel Heart, Wild Orchid, and Desperate Hours.

In 1991, Mickey Rourke once again went back to boxing but could not cut the grade, at the national level.

In 2009, Mickey Rourke will  be seen in Passion Plays, written and directed by Mitch Glazer, scriptwriter of The Recruit, starring Al Pacino, and Scrooged with Bill Murray.

His other forthcoming movies include The Expendables, Broken Horses, and The Informers, with Kim Basinger his co-star from 9½ Weeks.