IRON MAN

Actor Terence Howard talked to Wizard about why he took on the role as Jim Rhodes. "War Machine. The whole idea of being able to play a superhero. And getting able to go up in jets. The Department of Defense took me up in a T-38 and an F-16. I hurled, like everybody hurls, but all those ideas, man that was it for me." Howard also confirmed that he's signed for three films.

Ain't It Cool News also has another crossover rumor: "So the scene that was shot was for the Hulk with General Thunderbolt who is very important to the Hulk. Anyway, Tony Stark meets with him -- which of course is a straight prelude to the 'Avengers' Movie."

Finally, there's a report from director Sal Landi's website that said, "Gerard Sanders can be seen in Paramount Pictures 'Iron Man' as Robert Downey Jr.'s father, to be released May 2008." Landi is directing Sanders in a London stage production.

THE DARK KNIGHT

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal told Metro.co.uk that she's not always a damsel in distress. "There are moments of that," Gyllenhaal said. "Chris Nolan, the director, would joke about how I had to resign myself to being a little bit of a damsel in distress but he pushed me in other ways to make her a powerful character. I play a lawyer and have real relationships with the people I'm interacting with in the movie. She's very smart and a real rounded person. Of course, if you're the girl in Batman, you're going to be a damsel in distress to some extent but she's a really great character. So many people I play are a mess; Rachel's really clear about what's important to her and unwilling to compromise her morals, which made a nice change."

G.I. JOE

According to Variety, "Marlon Wayans has signed on to star in Paramount actioner ... Wayans will play Ripcord, leader of the military unit. War-themed story is set 10 years in the future. Stuart Beattie penned the screenplay, while Paul Lovett & David Elliot and Skip Woods contributed earlier drafts ... Paramount will release the film on Aug. 7, 2009."

JUSTICE LEAGUE

The Dominion Post has confirmed that Weta Workshop will design the costumes for the DC adaptation. "They are doing all the costumes and they're doing a brilliant job," said Barrie Osborne, the film's Wellington-based American producer. "A lot of people thought it would be too hard, that you can only make those things in Hollywood."

Actress Eva Green has posted a note on her website saying "Thanks to [actress Eva Green's] management, I can now officially say that Eva has no interest or involvement whatsoever in 'Justice League of America.' She has no films to announce as yet."

A report at Canda.com that sounds like it could be about the film. "Montrealer Jay Baruchel is on the phone from Sydney, Australia, where he's in rehearsals for what is rumoured to be the most expensive Warner Bros. movie in history. Set for release in 2010, the project is shrouded in secrecy and while Baruchel can't talk too much about it, he does hint at something exciting. 'The (film) I'm doing now will be a real cracker,' he says in his frank, confident tone. 'It will be insane.'"

Another report at Hip Hop DX claims to have confirmed that actor/rapper Common will be ring-slinging as Green Lantern John Stewart.

Props maker Billy Shannon has an update on his website about working on the project. "In January, I am off to Fox Studios, Sydney to work as a set finisher, painting surfaces to look like various types of marble and fancy woods ... and with luck, may do some backdrop work ..."

SPEED RACER

Actor Matthew Fox talked to Entertainment Weekly about getting to work on the fast paced flick. "So when I found out that the Wachowskis were doing 'Speed Racer' and were interested in me for it, I immediately went on the Internet, and as soon as I saw Racer X, I was like, I think that looks like me," Fox said. "I kinda think I would be a good Racer X. [Laughs] So then I was like, Dammit, I'm going to win this role! I went and read for it, and then waited quite a while. Racer X is all about mystery. And it's all about not just disguise of suit, but it's disguise of voice - he's, like, impenetrable ... I'm proud I did it all. They didn't double me. The stunt guys were like, 'We think you can do everything. Do you want to do everything?' 'Damn right I want to do everything. I want to do everything to the point where you think it looks like crap. That's when I need you to step in and help me out.' [During] some of it I was just dying. I would do these fight sequences in this leather thing, and the amount of sweat was extraordinary. I was coming home ultra-dehydrated."

THE MAN OF STEEL

In a rumor reversal, the word from Ain't It Cool News is that Brandon Routh is still the man for the span ... dex, with or without director Bryan Singer.

SMALLVILLE

Keeping it Kryptonian, Kryptonsite has updated spoilers on the season's fourteenth episode.

HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY

The new trailer is up in high definition QuickTime on Yahoo! Movies.

WGA STRIKE WATCH: DAY X

The big news is that the film studio United Artists has announced a side deal with the WGA that exactly mirrors the Worldwide Pants agreement. So that's one film studio back to work, with more than a few rumors that Marvel favorite Lionsgate, Disney expatriates The Weinstein Company and Lucasfilm may be next to work it out.

Also largely notable, the DGA met with moguls at the AMPTP. "The directors proposed a framework against which everybody would sit down and negotiate," an insider told journalist Nikki Finke. "And then there were a couple of things, not major, that didn't seem to be insurmountable as far as economics left to be talked about. So they've started putting those on the table, and the meeting is going on today."

Were you looking forward to the Golden Globes? Yeah, maybe not so much, since the Screen Actors Guild has recommended that its signatories not cross the line and attend (which was not George Clooney's idea), which makes for one dull show despite the hopes of NBC. If it makes you feel better, actors will appear at the Critics Choice Awards.

On the late night front, host Jay Leno allegedly threatened to downgrade to fi-core membership in the face of possible WGA sanctions (what's fi-core?). NBC is resisting WGA inquiries about what Leno exactly did and whether or not it broke union rules (which led SAG president Alan Rosenburg to say, "We urge our members to appear on the two programs that have independent agreements with the WGA, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. However, actors who are asked to appear on the struck network talk shows will have to cross WGA picket lines, creating the same situation that has led to the consensus among actors to skip the Golden Globes. As I have said since this strike began on November 5th, we must stand united with our brothers and sisters at the WGA." Ooh. Also, Letterman plans to shave off his strike beard on Monday's show.

Also noted, hosts Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel will appear on each other's shows to dodge the problem of booking guests who may see them both as heartless scabs. "There are only a few people in the world that know how tough this job is," Leno said Sunday. "Jimmy is one of them. It will be fun to discuss who's a good guest, who's a difficult guest and everything else that comes with sitting behind these desks."

"If Jay and I can come together and guest on each other's shows, then surely there is hope for peace in the Middle East," Kimmel said.

The writers of "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" will be donating part of their pay to help striking writers.

Finally, HBO's Bill Maher will return to the air without writers this Friday.

MORE COWBELL ...

We can't do this without you. The rumors, the scoops, the set photos -- they're all fueled by passionate fans emailing in the goods. The ones who ask, "What do you mean your sister's dating somebody who works for Miles Millar?" The ones who know the code names of movie projects and scour city permit filings for them. The devoted, the involved. Fans, just like you. Whatever you know, we wanna know, and whether you want your name shouted to the web's rafters or kept closer than a classified report, we've got you covered like a comforter. Broadcasting live from Los Angeles, this is your humble scribe Hannibal Tabu saying thank you for your time and indulgence, and [tagline redacted until the WGA strike is resolved].