Photo: Brad Pitt

Daily Mirror had reported that Brad Pitt was to commence filming for Sherlock Holmes at locations like the Royal Victoria Dock, Pontoon Docks, Pinewood and Chatham Docks in Kent.

Now, usmagazine.com has quoted a studio representative as saying that the Daily Mirror report is completely inaccurate. “Brad Pitt is not joining the cast of Sherlock Holmes and we’re extremely pleased with the production of the film. As planned, it will be released on Christmas Day, 2009.”

He also said that to complete the movie, “we’ve scheduled a few days on set to shoot a couple of additional scenes, obtain pick-up shots, and perfect some of the visual effects elements, all of which is standard filmmaking practice.”

The Daily Mirror had claimed that Guy Ritchie, who has worked with Pitt in the 2000 Snatch, had asked Pitt to join the cast.

“It’s a huge coup to have Brad joining the cast. He has worked for Guy before and said if he could, he would do anything to help out,” the paper had quoted a soure as saying.

Sherlock Holmes, that will be released in 2010, stars Robert Downey Jr. in the titular role. The movie will also star Jude Law as Dr. Watson, Rachel McAdams as Irene Adin, and Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood.

Sherlock Holmes will be based on the classic book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by the same name as well as the upcoming Sherlock Holmes comic book by Lionel Wigram.

Guy Ritchie, who has also scripted the movie, had said earlier that Sherlock Holmes will be a gritty, Bondesque contemporary remake in which Sherlock Holmes will be portrayed as a skilled swordsman.

The movie will be produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin.

In other news, Brad Pitt has replaced Robert Downey Jr. in the superhero movie, Oobermind, after the former walked out of the project. Directed by Tom McGrath, Oobermind will be released in December 2010.

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.

Jude Law as Dr. Watson in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes

Jude Law will play Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes remake to be directed and scripted by Guy Ritchie for Warner Bros. Jude Law is said to be in talks and is likely to close the deal soon, putting paid to rumors that Russell Crowe will play Sherlock Holmes’ trusted friend and assistant.

Robert Downey Jr. will play the titular role of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes will go into production in October 2008. Sherlock Holmes will be produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin.

The Sherlock Holmes movie will draw from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s book as well as the Sherlock Holmes comic book by Lionel Wigram.

Sherlock Holmes will be a gritty, Bondesque contemporary remake in which Sherlock Holmes will be potrayed as a skilled swordsman in the movie. Guy Ritchie has said

that Sherlock Holmes will reflect the intelligence in the books as well as intense action that has not been captured in the earlier movie versions of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes will be released in 2010.

The lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrel’s director Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla is set for a October 31, 2008 release. RocknRolla will star Gerard Butler, Tom Wikilson, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong, and Tom Hardy. There are rumors that Mark Strong will play the villian Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes.

Guy Ritchie’s last movie was the 2005 Revolver.

The other Sherlock Holmes movie in production, is Judd Apatow’s Sherlock Holmes spoof. The Columbia Pictures movie will star Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell

Jude Law has just completed his role in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus where he plays one of the avatars of Heath Ledger.