Emily Blunt out of "Iron Man 2", replaced by Scarlett Johannson

Source: Deadline Hollywood

I've already posted my scoop that Mickey Rourke will play the Russian villain in Iron Man 2 in a Marvel Studios deal that started out lowball and went up a lot. Now I'm told that Emily Blunt won't be in the sequel and Black Widow will now be played by Scarlett Johannson. (Interesting because Scarlett actually screen-tested for the role and didn't get it.) But I hear that, unlike Mickey's money, the deal for her is "just the opposite, a terrible deal made by CAA," one of my insiders says. "It's as bad as any deal that I've heard. It's lowball money. And it ties her to countless movies, including that ensemble The Avengers, which is what makes this brutal for a lot of actors." As for Blunt, I'm told she fell out not by choice but only because Fox exercised an option that the studio had from The Devil Wears Prada to make her do the upcoming film starring Jack Black, Gullivers Travels.

That's really a shame; Blunt would've been a much better choice for the role, and I think she'd have better chemistry with Robert Downey Jr. And besides, after "The Spirit" fiasco, you'd think that Scarlett Johansson would know to stay away from comic book movies. *Sigh* We'll miss you Emily...