Last week’s Entertainment Weekly cover story was a preview of the Iron Man sequel, named (guess what?) Iron Man 2. It’s not due out until May of 2010, so I guess they just wanted to get us really, really excited, and we’re supposed to maintain that excitement over the course of the next 10 months. Anyway, the scandal for the EW cover was this – it features Robert Downey Jr. (as Iron Man, of course), Mickey Rourke (as Whiplash) and Scarlett Johansson (as the Black Widow). Hmm… isn’t there someone missing? Someone who was in the first Iron Man, and made such a big deal about it… I know we’re forgetting someone. Oh, right! Gwyneth “GOOP” Paltrow, of course! While filming in Los Angeles, there were already rumors that Goopy didn’t appreciate all of the attention ScarJo got in her leather Black Widow costume. But now it looks like ScarJo is taking center stage for the film’s advanced promotion too! Doesn’t ScarJo know that the center stage is reserved for Goops?

The behind-the-scenes action on Iron Man 2 is almost as exciting as the movie itself.

Gwyneth Paltrow, who returns as Iron Man’s PA Pepper Potts, is furious that new co-star Scarlett Johansson is stealing her limelight.

Scarlett, who plays a Russian spy, appears in a promotional campaign alongside the film’s other stars, Robert Downey Jr and Mickey Rourke.

But there is no sign of Gwyneth.

A source said: ‘Gwyneth was afraid she’d be upstaged by Scarlett and not being in the campaign was the final straw. She is furious she’s been left out.’

Gwyneth, 36, now plans to boycott a promotion in San Diego later this month.

‘She’s heading to New York instead, she’s so angry,’ added the source.

A spokesman for Gwyneth said: ‘She was not at all upset. The fans will get to see more of Pepper Potts as we get closer to the film’s release next May’.

[From Daily Mail]

I really believe that Goopy is probably somewhere between peeved and pissed that she was left off the EW cover. It just seems like Gwyneth, doesn’t it? She’s the one returning to the franchise, while ScarJo is a newcomer. And do you know what else is pissing off Goop? That ScarJo is younger, bustier, sexier, and probably easier to work with in general. Could be…but to be fair to Goop, I think part of this is the media’s desire to have a catfight. Gwyneth admits as much (in relation to the characters) while being interviewed for the EW piece:

When Marvel Studios first announced the sequel, no one was sure what the movie would be about. Downey, director Jon Favreau, screenwriter Justin Theroux, and the rest of the creative team struck upon the idea of introducing two very different foes for Stark.

On one side is Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a fast-talking weapons manufacturer who fancies himself the next Tony Stark; on the other, Vanko, who, while incarcerated in a Russian prison, creates his own battle-suit, which shoots devastating, whip-like beams. Hammer and Whiplash join forces to take down Downey’s character, Tony Stark.

Rourke, for his part, wanted to instill some lightness into the role of the heavy. “I told Favreau, ‘I don’t want to just play him as a one-dimensional p—-,'” he says. “He let me have a cockatoo, who I talk to and get drunk with while I’m making my suit.”

Just as the deals were being hammered out, Terrence Howard — who had played Stark’s best friend — fell out of the sequel in a public salary dispute. The role was re-cast, with Don Cheadle stepping in. “We had to make some tough deals,” says Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. “When they got public, you go, ‘That sucks. Okay, you want a peek behind the curtain? Here you are!'”

Says Cheadle, “Terrence and I couldn’t be more different. We address it head-on in the movie in one exchange. We’re not trying to fool people.” (Cheadle admits he didn’t know much about Marvel’s superhero before the first movie came out: “I always thought Iron Man was a robot.”)

Adding more flesh and blood to the new movie, Scarlett Johansson joined the cast as Stark’s mysterious new assistant, Natasha, who has an alter ego of her own, Black Widow. That introduction inevitably sparks romantic tension between Stark and former assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who’s been promoted to CEO of Stark Industries. “The men want it to be, like, ‘Ooh, the girls are fighting over Tony,’ but it’s not as standard as that,” says Paltrow. “There’s a weird male catfight fantasy.”

Downey agrees. He believes what differentiates the franchise from other superhero series can be summarized as follows: “We’re horny. Not, like, can’t-bring-your-kids horny, but just…horny.”

[From Entertainment Weekly]

Damn, now I wish they had put Sam Rockwell on the cover. I love that guy, he’s so sexy. You know who else is in the sequel? Samuel “Motherf-ckin’ Plane” Jackson! And with Don Cheadle replacing Baby Wipes Howard, this cast is pretty cool! Anyway, here’s the question, men and women. Gwyneth or ScarJo? It can be for anything, who would you rather work with, or sleep with, or be friends with? I know my answer. And my answer is Goop-less.

Gwyneth Paltrow is shown in the header on 7/8/08. She’s shown below on 3/17/09. Credit: PRPhotos