A few years ago most pundits put the prerelease Iron Man prospects under the heading of risky business.

After all, the Marvel superhero flick was directed by the inexperienced Jon Favreau and featured the wobbly actor-in-recovery Robert Downey Jr.

After its release, great reviews and a global box office of $585 million US changed all that, elevating Iron Man 2 into the rare can't-miss category when the much-anticipated sequel opens May 7 in Canada and the U.S.

That's not to say the principal players were taking things for granted as they gathered at a Beverly Hills hotel to discuss the second picture in a planned trilogy.

Present and accounted for were the vindicated power duo of Favreau and Downey Jr., not to mention Gwyneth Paltrow. Newcomers attending included Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson and Don Cheadle.

"I've never done a sequel before, but for this, there wasn't the same pressure," said the 43-year-old Favreau. "We knew people were coming to the party. We just wanted to make sure it was going to be a good one."

Downey Jr. suggested he had a new set of challenges the second time around.

"It was another coming-of-age story, but in a different way," noted the 45-year-old.

In Iron Man 2, the world's aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is the superhero, so the government demands that Stark share his military weapons.

Refusing to reveal his secrets for fear that the technology would fall into the wrong hands, Stark finds himself at odds with the very people he was trying to protect. Only former assistant Pepper Potts (Paltrow), who now runs Stark Industries, and Lt. Col. James (Rhodey) Rhodes (Cheadle, who replaced Terrence Howard) stay loyal.

Leonardo DiCaprio Girlfriend, DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli Marriage?

Rumors are spreading on the web about Leonardo DeCaprio and his girlfriend Bar Rafaeli getting married. These rumors were spawned from a simple siting of the two at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game.

However, when Bar Rafaeli has been questioned about the marriage rumors with Leonardo DeCaprio she has responded with absolutely not.

Bar recently denied the marriage rumors and her ring finger was bare at the game, so we’re not sure what the big deal is.

Bar told the press, “I’m 24 and there’s still time [for marriage]. I’m in no hurry. I’m happy with where I am.”