Is He Kidding? Mickey Rourke as Genghis Khan?

If you're annoyed about random Asian characters being re-done by the white folk, how about this: Mickey Rourke told the Orlando Sentinel that he is going to play Genghis Khan in an upcoming biopic. Genghis. Khan. In other words, the Mongolian emperor whose invasions of neighboring lands earned him much of Central Asia and China, before successors stretched the barriers even further.

As a story of conquest, we're talking the thundering hooves of horses, large-scale massacres, and all the charming aspects of war -- prime content for a man like Rourke. But playing an Asian conqueror? What is this? 1965 and Laurence Olivier playing Othello? 1956 and John Wayne playing Genghis? It would be just as weird as John Cho playing Christopher Columbus. Anyhow, Rourke says that John Milius, the pen behind Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now, wrote the script, and it will focus on how Genghis' son and grandson saw him. "You see him in flashbacks, back when he was in his mid-40s. And back then, being in your mid-40s was being REALLY old." Rourke goes on to discuss how he's probably a better horse rider than he is a car driver, has his great stunt crew ready for the gig, and really likes that Khan was also a dog lover: "in one instance, in this script, he orders his men -- 'Hold the dogs back.' He was looking out for the dogs. I like that."

Is Rourke just kidding? Is this really happening? Weigh in with your thoughts below.

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