Latino Review are reporting that Tim Robbins is set to play Howard Stark whilst characters Hawkeye and Black Widow are rumored to make an appearance in the Iron Man sequel:

From what I’m told, Tim Robbins is going to be playing Howard Stark in an important flashback sequence that is going to set up the Avengers and Captain America films. Jon [Favreau] wanted to get a good actor because he didn’t think the guy who played Howard in the last film could carry such an important scene.

The scooper goes on,

I’m also told that HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW are definitely in Iron Man 2 and they wont be cameos either.

The nominations for the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild have been announced, with Heath Ledger in the running for best male actor in a supporting role. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, Jan 25th, with a simulcast Live on TNT and TBS at 8 PM ET/PT.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JOSH BROLIN / Dan White – “MILK” (Focus Features)
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. / Kirk Lazarus – “TROPIC THUNDER” (Paramount Pictures)
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN / Father Brendan Flynn – “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
HEATH LEDGER / Joker – “THE DARK KNIGHT” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DEV PATEL / Older Jamal – “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
THE DARK KNIGHT (Warner Bros. Pictures)
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (Universal Pictures)
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (Paramount Pictures)
IRON MAN (Paramount Pictures)
WANTED (Universal Pictures)

Seems like the tabloids are at it again, this time with rumors that Rachel Weisz will be playing Cat Woman, Shia LaBoeuf to play Robin and Eddie Murphy as The Riddler – where do they get this crap? Suffice to say, it’s all made up drivel.

Time to get some real voices on the sequel to The Dark Knight; Alan Horn, president of Warner Bros. has recently spoken with Collider:

We’ve been talking to Chris Nolan and what we have to do is get him in the right place and have him tell us what he thinks the notion might be for a great story, but Chris did a great job and we’d love to have him come back and do another one.”

As far as the timing of the project, he went onto say: “The story is everything and we are very respectful of Chris. We have a wonderful relationship with him and we are going to be respectful of his timing and we want to get it right. Also, I think the fans expect that – they want us to make a terrific movie – we have to give them another great movie.“

UGO caught up with Justin Theroux recently and quizzed him about the progress of the Iron Man 2 script and the ongoing development:

JT: We’ve kind of got a first draft around. You know what I mean? I just got back from London where I was working with Robert and Kevin Feige. He was out there. We were talking with Robert, who’s out there doing Sherlock Holmes, he was giving his input and his notes. We’re sort of there. It’s just sort of chugging along. The crews, I think, are now starting to see what they need to make, and the places that we might be going and all the rest within the story. That’s sort of one of the more exciting times.

UGO: So you weren’t involved in the whole Don Cheadle/Terrence Howard…or were and you want to tell me something…

JT: No, I wasn’t. I genuinely wasn’t. (laughs)

UGO: There have been reports that the role of War Machine was scaled back and then beefed up.

JT: No, that’s all nonsense. Whatever their reason is, I’ll leave that up to Marvel. We’re writing the thing, virtually the same for Rhodey that we would for any actor. We’re really taking what’s going to be the most interesting story for the fans, and what are they going to enjoy watching. And who ever’s in that part is going to have to play that part and make it work for Jon (Favreau) and the fans who are watching the movie.

UGO: So the size of the role wasn’t ever changed?

JT: No. God, no.

UGO: So did you have to, or did you try to accommodate Don Cheadle’s acting style?

JT: I think that will probably be something that comes up…I haven’t met Don, and I think I’m going to in a little bit and I think once I get a better sense of his voice and also hear what he has to say about what he likes about the character and just pick his brain a little bit, then we’ll obviously start to tailor it to him. Once he sort of gets more involved in the process then we’ll start tapering the length of his character…making it fit just right.

UGO: Everyone’s speculating about the villain. Are we talking Mandarin? Or Evil DJ?

JT: (laughs) I think it’s Evil DJ. He could be the villain in this movie. I don’t know. I mean, I do know but I’m not going to let that cat out. I’ll let Jon start discussing when he thinks it’s the right time.

UGO: Considering that everyone’s coming together for the Avengers movie, were you ever told that certain things had to be in the story or that things had to go a certain way?

JT: No. I mean, I think we’re all sort of conscious of the fact that all these people…it is the Marvel universe, but that’s really about as far as we’ve been made…they haven’t given us any instruction as far as we want you to do this or we want you to do that. And really it’s not really a they/us kind of environment, the way they work. It’s just a bunch of guys and girls sitting in a room, trying to come up with stuff and doing what’s right for the movie and what, at the end of the day, is going to be the most interesting film that can be made. Kind of a fun film. I think once we’re sort of locked on that we’ll be able to think about how we can thread things through. There’s a couple little things that we’ve been working on, but it’s not that we’ve been taking meetings with Avengers people. It’s not like we’re six screenwriters sitting in a room from each movie and thinking about how we’re gonna work on each other’s things.

UGO: Have you written Stan Lee’s cameo yet?

JT: No, I don’t think so. (laughs) I don’t know, I don’t know. Jon will anoint him with that cameo, I’m sure.

UGO: Gwyneth Paltrow is still listed as “rumored”. Is she confirmed?

JT: I don’t know. I don’t know if she’s confirmed or not…I’m planning like she is there but I have no idea.

UGO: Finally, what voice do you think you bring to the script, to make it different from the last one?

JT: I’m not really trying to bring a different voice. I’m trying to mimic and sing in the same key as the script that was there before. If anything, I think I bring a knowledge of the way Robert’s mind works. I’ve worked with him once before. Hopefully I’ve proven I have some modicum of creative relationship with Jon and Marvel. So I really think my job is to work with them and not try and strike any new chords. Of course we want to make the story different and interesting. We want the action to be really good. But I think my job is really just to…serve the ultimate guy, which is Iron Man.

The Sydney Morning Herald are currently reporting that New South Wales and Victoria are in a bidding battle to attract the business of The Green Lantern movie production.

The filmmakers have been scouting locations and interviewing key crew in Sydney for a movie with an estimated budget of more than $150 million. Centring on a test pilot who uses a magic ring to become a crime-fighting superhero.

Alan Horn, president of Warner Bros., recently spoke to Collider about the future of Batman and other super heroes at the WB. The Green Lantern news comes towards the end of the brief interview, here is Collider’s transcript:

I then ask when we might be seeing another Superman. “Probably in the next couple of years. We’re very anxious to bring Superman back also.”

I then say Green Lantern? “Also on the board. On the runway. Hasn’t taken off yet, but we’re close.”

I finally ask what he thinks the next Superhero property might be from Warner Bros. He says “I think Green Lantern is probably the best guess but I can’t promise it at this moment.”

And Justice League? “Not yet.”

The American Film Institute has listed its top movies of 2008, and The Dark Knight is listed in it along with some prestigious company:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Gran Torino
Iron Man
Milk
WALL-E
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler

More of the same really, but SSH recently spoke with Frank Miller, asking him about the 300 spin-off and Sin City 2.

With regards to Mickey Rourke’s recent comments concerning his hesitation in reprising his role as Marv, Frank says,

“He has a pretty big role. I hope Mickey plays it.”

And about Robert Rodriguez,

“I hope to work with Robert. We’re talking it over and trying to work out the mechanics of actually getting it made. It’s always tricky with movies. I believe that a movie’s going to come out as soon as I see its name on a marquee.”