The Wrestler Goes to Wrestlemania: Mickey Rourke eyeing guest appearance on WWE

UPDATE: With a somber heart, it's our duty to report that Rourke has backed out of the appearance. Evidently his publicist reminded him he's up for an Oscar.

---

The Wrestler can’t exactly be called a celebration of the sport, but in an instance of life imitating art, the WWE has apparently warmed to the movie and made early arrangements for Mickey Rourke to appear on Wrestlemania.

Rourke’s Oscar-nominated turn in Darren Aronofsky’s festival hit has spurred other offers, but the actor said he was into the idea of a guest appearance at WWE’s Wrestlemania. "The boys from the WWE called me and asked me to do it,” he told Access Hollywood. “I said, ‘I want to.’ I’m talking with Rowdy Roddy Piper about it.”

The movie includes queasy and often brutal scenes of the aftermath of wrestling matches, though it's never quite an indictment. For that matter, the far glossier interplay at Wrestlemania would probably require less of a physical commitment than the movie did.

Related links:
News: Oscar nominees announced
News: Mickey Rourke eyes parts in Iron Man 2 and The Expendables
Review: The Wrestler

Got a news tip for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.