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First Look: Mickey Rourke in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler

February 8, 2008
Source: WXW Wrestling
by Alex Billington

First Look: Mickey Rourke in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler

When I first heard that The Fountain director Darren Aronofsky's next two movies happened to be titled The Wrestler and The Fighter, I was quite shocked. Not only because of the eerie similarity in the titles, but because they don't seem like movies I'd expect Aronofsky to take on. First up is The Wrestler, which Aronofsky is shooting at the moment, that tells the story of retired professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson played by Mickey Rourke, best known as Marv in Sin City. Thanks to the guys at WXW Wresting, we've got the first photo of Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson.

Mickey Rourke as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson

The Wrestler is the story of retired professional wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson, making his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.

The guys at WXW Wrestling explained that Hasbrouck Heights, NJ’s Pioneer Club was transformed into a movie set for two nights. In-ring fights were shot with a live WXW Wrestling crowd. They also said that Mickey Rourke's trainer, 2007 WWE Hall of Famer Afa the Wild Samoan, was there ringside watching the wrestling action. Scenes were also shot in the locker room as well with other WXW wrestlers.

To be honest, I'm really not impressed with any of this. I'm entirely confused as to why Aronofsky, the brilliant mind behind The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream, would be making a movie about professional wrestling? That photo above doesn't get me excited in the least and I'm quite worried that this could be a flop. But at the same time, Aronofsky is too amazing to turn out a bad movie, so I'm just hoping to be surprised whenever I actually see The Wrestler. We'll keep you updated on all the latest with Darren Aronofsky as things happen.

Discover More: First Look, Hype

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Reader Feedback - 5 Comments »

1

Yeahhh, this one is definitely a mystery to me as well.

Zach D. on Feb 8, 2008

2

I have to be honest, I was a little confused by this article. Firstly, the remark about the photo, its one photo what kind info can you possibly gain from it and in what regard does it reflect the box office potential of the movie, by the way wasn't The fountain a huge failure commerically. Secondly, If his previous movies floated ya boat, then I dont understand why this movie would seem so confusing. It's Aronofsky he aint a hack, when u watch a picture by this guy it's because it's Aronofsky not because it's a movie about a women dying of cancer and her husband trying to save her or about kids doing drugs in Coney Island, this is not going to be a middle of the road studio movie, the guy has a unique cinematic vision. It's so great to see Mickey Rourke getting a shot with a great director, it's been a while since his talent was in such good hands. Whatever happens it will be an interesting movie, a failure or a success. Peace.

lee on Feb 8, 2008

3

You think Mickey Rourke is best known for Sin City???

That's a good reason why I should never, ever return to this website. You just VH1'd yourself dude.

Connor on Feb 9, 2008

4

Connor, let me explain. I don't mind "showing my age" or getting VH1'd or whatever, because it's the same age that we cater to with our readers… I know that obviously Mickey Rourke has a lot more than just Sin City, but not only do "older" folks also know him as that, but more people probably know him as Marv than anything else… In essence, what I mean is that, if you add up the collective of all people out there who are movie fans and reading this site, they probably range in age from 14 to 60, and to cover ALL age ranges, I think the biggest number of people out there know him in Sin City on top of many other roles. But it's just covering everything… I actually thought about whether to include some of his other roles, but then I just thought, Sin City is most prevalent with our readers and with people who know Mickey beyond just that, it's all encompassing, so why not.

Lee - there's no reason to be confused, because what I was trying to say is that wrestling, especially the kind that this picture presents, is such a "dumbed down" form of entertainment, and it's odd to see someone like Aronofsky, who is known for his highly intellectual and smart films, to be doing something about a wrestler… Just… sort of doesn't make sense. And I say it context with the photo because this is the first time we've had any real introduction to the movie or what's going on, and once you have something visual to reference, that's when it throws you for a loop in regards to Aronofsky. Sure, I'll see it, and as I said at the end, I'm expecting a lot because of who Aronofsky is, but for now, I'm a bit confused…

Alex Billington on Feb 10, 2008

5

You might not be excited about this film but im a wrestling fan as you can tell from my handle and im looking forward to it. It looks like the wrestling industry is finally going to get a film that doesnt take the piss out of wrestling and make it look like a joke but will hopefully show the hard work that wrestlers put into there proffesion and the sacrafices they have to make to pursue it.

superplex on Feb 11, 2008

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