Iron Man: Gwyneth Paltrow = Pepper Potts

The news was broken by Ain’t It Cool but it’s now official and is being reported by Variety and Hollywood Reporter that Gwyneth Paltrow has been cast as Pepper Potts in the Jon Favreau helmed Iron Man movie which is also starring Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard. The news is so new that IMDB isn’t even showing it yet.

The good news is that Iron Man is shaping up to be a heavy hitter of a movie. Big names lend weight to the production and probably means there will be no big time corner cutting when it comes to budget and such. It also shows that Favreau is very serious about making this a quality film and not some “watch it and forget it” popcorn flick. I never really thought that may favorite comic book character would get such high end treatment on the big screen! It took a long time to get going but it looks like it’s going to be worth the wait.

On the other hand, I don’t know if I like such a recognizable actress in a pivotal role in Iron Man. Downey Jr. I think can melt into the role ot Tony Stark and Howard is not that recognized an actor at this point so I’ll buy him as Rhodey. But with Paltrow on the screen my brain will be telling me “Hey, look – It’s Gwyneth Paltrow!”

Now don’t get me wrong, I like her as an actress and she’s certainly attractive, but I’ve always thought of Pepper Potts as more of a “spunky” character. Not someone who runs around like a headless chicken, but a woman that you can tell has a fire burning just below the surface that might erupt if you push her too far. Of course there’ve been MANY versions of Pepper, some more “mushy” than others, but I prefer the strong woman version. Paltrow just strikes me as to soft and quiet for the part.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Favreau does with her.

Iron Man starts production this April and is scheduled to open in May 2007.