Yesterday, I joined the ranks of the privileged few to step into the world of “Iron Man”…undoubtedly the most top-secret set in all of Hollywoodland. And at this moment, I’m thankful for the lone, three-letter word that can precisely sum up my thoughts: Wow.

If you’re a comics geek like myself, you know that Tony Stark remains the greatest superhero to never get his own movie (until now); if you’re simply a movies fan who enjoyed the “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” flicks — well, just know that this is the blockbuster you’ll be buzzing about in twelve months.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges were hanging around, watching Gwyneth Paltrow dance between takes. A kid-in-a-candy-store-like Jon Favreau ran from the sleek offices of Stark Enterprises to the Iraq cave that starts the story, checking on the progress of his sets. As a lifelong fan of the man in the red-and-yellow suit, I couldn’t help but feel like my Nikes were treading on holy ground.

Favreau and the Marvel crew have created a self-contained superhero city on one of L.A.’s biggest soundstages. I’ve never seen a bigger set in my life, and there’s so much in there: Stark Enterprises, the cave, the underground garage (packed with machinery and eye-popping autos) where Stark builds the suit, and so much more that Favreau and the crew need personalized bicycles to transport themselves between it all.

We snagged exclusive interviews with Favreau and Downey, some great B-roll of their footage, and tons of details about the sets. And then, in mid-interview, the affable actor/director unexpectedly whipped out THE HELMET, and turned it on for us!

Check back here tomorrow – and on the movies section of MTV.com — for the full report, including our in-depth write-up, exclusive videos from the set, and to find out what Downey and Favs had to say…such as their news-breaking revelation of the climactic scene that they claim will equal such classic moments as Indiana Jones vs. the boulder. Hopefully by then, I’ll be able to come up with something to describe it that’s all a little bit better than “Wow.”

It’s a friendly competition, but there can be no doubt that Diego Luna has finally beaten his friend and “Y tu mama tambien” co-star Gael Garcia Bernal to the “punch” — literally — not by besting him for a part but by being the first to venture behind the camera. Luna recently completed work on “J.C. Chavez,” a documentary on Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez, a film he thinks says as much about Mexico as it does about Chavez himself.

The actor turned director recently phoned me from his car to talk about the flick he views as a metaphor for fathers and sons, about his own relationship with his father, and about future projects with Bernal and Alfonso Cuaron.

MTV: Are you a giant boxing fan? What drew you to Chavez’s story?

Luna: Well, it was a chance to talk about fame and what happens when fame meets power. Also, it was a chance to talk about my country because to know the character you have to know his country. And the context of Julio Cesar Chavez is basically all the things that happened that made Mexico what it is right now. Read more…

Officer Farva a dad? A good source tells us it’s no shenanigans, but rather the plot for the newest Kevin Heffernan comedy, “The Babymaker.”

“We’re producing a script that Jay [Chandrasekhar] is going to direct starring Kevin called ‘The Babymaker.’ I think that will be the next thing for us,” comedian and Broken Lizard veteran Paul Soter revealed about the troupe’s upcoming plans.

The group had a breakthrough hit with “Super Troopers,” during which Heffernan’s Farva memorably attacked a fast food cashier after outrageously demanding a “liter of cola.” He’s still after fluid, and it still leads to a blitz, but it’s a little bit, uh, more delicate this time around, Soter joked.

“Kevin is a married guy in a couple that has no interest in having children. Suddenly his wife gets baby fever. It becomes a fertility comedy for a while about his attempts to impregnate his wife,” Soter divulged of the flick’s plot, adding that things suddenly get much more complicated. “Then they find out he has become sterile but he had been a sperm donor in the past. He finds out there’s one batch left, and they wont give it to him. So he gets his buddies together for a heist to go steal his sperm back.”

Those hoping for a complete big-screen reunion, however, may have to wait until “Super Troopers 2,” Soter insisted, saying that the group was unsure whether returning would take away from what’s set-up to be Heffernan’s star-making role. “We haven’t gotten into whether the rest of us would take smaller roles. We could but if this is going to be a Kevin Heffernan movie, if you put the Broken Lizard guys in supporting roles, is that weird?” Soter asked somewhat rhetorically, before quickly answering himself. “It becomes a weirdly imbalanced Broken Lizard movie as opposed to a Kevin Heffernan movie.”

Segment Producer Vanessa White Wolf took a moment from her hectic schedule leading up to this Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards (8PM/7C) to let us know what she’s busy with as all of us here prepare for the big show.

So today was my first day in the L.A. offices for this year’s MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show (airing Sunday at 7:30PM ET). My first order of business is working with editor extraordinaire Darryl Fox on the very special Fashion Transformations we’ll be featuring in the Pre-Show.

Finishing a rough cut of the Megan Fox segment as I type this; the “Transformers” star let our cameras tag along as she met with her stylists to pick a dress for the show. She, of course, looks amazing in pretty much anything so I think the most difficult part will be deciding which one she likes best. Unfortunately, as I watch the tape, she says that each of the 17 dresses (not that many, but almost) is her favorite.

As soon as we’re done with that, Darryl and I will start piecing together the Whitney Port segment. You’ll remember Whitney from “The Hills” as LC’s co-intern at Teen Vogue. We followed her and her friend Joanna as they shopped on Robertson Blvd.

In the next few days, we’ll be working on “Transformers” exclusive segments, like a look at all the cars featured in the film and a segment focused on director Michael Bay. During the actual pre-show, I’ll be floor-producing SuChin Pak on our homebase from the hot pink carpet. Immediately after, I’ll run to the production truck to cut various pieces for the on demand post show. So yeah, a pretty busy week ahead. I must say, for the record, the L.A. offices are much bigger than the NYC offices. And they have much better lighting. Plus, Red Vines and ice cream sandwiches in the vending machines! It’s ridiculous.

While attention has been focused on the casting of Maria Bello in Brendan Fraser’s blockbuster “Mummy” franchise, it’s Fraser’s next project that might prove most interesting. The “Crash” collaborator will be starring in the 2008 big-budget adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s bestselling fantasy children’s novel, “Inkheart.” The actor will play a bookseller who harbors the special ability to bring elements of fiction to life when he reads a book aloud…a power that sparks a magical adventure for his young daughter, played by Eliza Bennett.

“It’s kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time,” Fraser told MTV News about his character’s gift. “His wife has disappeared and some baddies have come out of the world of the book. [My daughter] goes on a quest to a medieval world to retrieve her mom.”

While the film has its share of casting notables — including Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany and Sienna Guillory — it’s one co-star in particular that made Fraser’s day: the man who brought Gollum to life in “The Lord of the Rings.” “Andy Sirkis is fantastic,” Fraser enthused. “He’s got chops. It was great to work with [him].”

Like Hollywood’s adaptation of Tolkien’s trilogy, audiences can expect a full array of computer-generated wizardry: “There are some fantastic creatures in it,” Fraser revealed. But it’s on the subject of special effects that the actor reflects back to an earlier role…that of caveman Link in the classic 1992 film, “Encino Man.”

“It really was the end of a period in the genre of niche teen films,” said Fraser of the non-CGI pic, which co-starred Sean Astin and Pauly Shore. “It was just actors, [the] camera, [and] me with a squirrel screwed to my head. It was just having fun, really. And then after that it ushered in the whole period of CGI. That’s interesting…it’s the truth.”

Are you looking forward to “Inkheart”? Is “Encino Man” really as historic as Fraser and I think? Chime in below.

Forget the Oscars, the Emmys, or the Grammys, the toughest hosting gig in Hollywood is the MTV Movie Awards, which will air live for the first time ever this Sunday (8PM/7C). So what advice does two-time host Jimmy Fallon have for new emcee Sarah Silverman? None. “Sarah doesn’t need my advice. She’s awesome,” the “Fever Pitch” star told MTV News. “If you’ve seen her stuff you know how great she is.”

Fallon memorably co-hosted the irreverent awards show alongside “Spider-Man’s” Kirsten Dunst in 2001 and by himself in 2005, spoofing some of the biggest names in show business with movie parodies of “Star Wars,” “The DaVinci Code,” and “Batman Begins”…ensuring that the all-star event was a must-see.

Fallon gushed that Silverman’s mere presence means the same thing. “I will definitely be watching,” he said.

In addition to Silverman, the show boasts appearances from Jessica Biel, Shia LaBeouf, Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jessica Alba. Also at the big show, Amy Winehouse will perform her international hit “Rehab,” while Jay-Z and Rihanna will sing “Umbrella.”

Who’s your favorite host of the MTV Movie Awards, and how does Silverman stack up? Sound off below.

Eli Roth has been documenting the making of “Hostel: Part II” with a series of diary entries for MTV. Yesterday Roth talked about hearing the final sound mix for the film for the first time. Today he discusses how he and his peers came to be known as “The Splat Pack.”

About a year ago, I read an article by the British film journalist Alan Jones, who referred to the current wave of new horror directors as “The Splat Pack.” This group was myself, James Wan (”Saw”), Neil Marshall (”The Descent”), Alex Aja (”The Hills Have Eyes”), Darren Boussman (”Saw II”), Leigh Whannell (who wrote the first three “Saw” films) Greg McLean (”Wolf Creek”), and Rob Zombie.

Having met most of these guys, we all immediately learned that we had one thing in common: we love R-rated horror movies, and we felt that horror had gone soft, and we wanted to bring back the “hard” R. Everyone, in their own way, wanted to make the kinds of films they grew up on that they felt was missing in mainstream cinema today. Rob Zombie had been making “House of 1000 Corpses” while I was making “Cabin Fever,” without any knowledge of each other’s films. When I first met Rob, we talked about the horror films we grew up on and how we missed the visceral, grizzly, realistic horror films. We couldn’t figure out why sex and nudity had evaporated from scary movies, and we talked about how horror fans want their horror movies horrific, not safe and PG-13. Not that there’s anything wrong with PG-13, but that rating tends to best suit more supernatural movies like “The Grudge” and “The Sixth Sense,” whereas the films we were making were more realistic, and more brutal. Read more…

The movie world keeps a-turnin’ as teenage superheroes suit up, a Greek god goes Hollywood, Shyamalan scares up a Deschanel sister and more, in today’s issue of The Dailies.

- Robin finally gets his due as Warner Bros. develops “Teen Titans” live-action film. (Hollywood Reporter)

- Hope they didn’t toss the “300” props. Hollywood turns its eagle eye towards Hercules, snags “Crow: Wicked Prayer” screenwriter. (Variety)

- Zooey Deschanel unites with Mark Wahlberg for new Shyamalan movie. (Variety)

- The muggles get a log flume. Universal readies “Potter” theme park. (ComingSoon.net)

- Early artists of rock ‘n roll to be featured in “Cadillac Records.” (Hollywood Reporter)

- “Infested,” a currently unpublished novel about a parasite that turns people into crazed serial killers, gets turned into flick. (Hollywood Reporter)

There are a lot of sequences in Judd Apatow’s upcoming sure-to-be comedy smash “Knocked Up” that still bring a smile to my face (I’ve seen the flick twice already if that’s any indication). One is when new best buds Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd engage in a bit of male bonding in Vegas by taking in Cirque du Soleil under the influence of some truly unsafe hallucinogens. It all gets started in the car ride as the two rock out to the music of Britney Spears.

When I caught up with Apatow and Rogen last week I had to find out what the Britney obsession was all about. Check out the answer in the clip below and for a whole lot more of a very funny interview with Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen you can do a lot worse than going here.

It’s no secret that the “Saw” and “Hostel” films are closely linked; torture, complex plots, and a willingness to test the MPAA would pair them together, even if the franchises weren’t housed at the same studio. But, as “Saw IV” continues production, “Hostel: Part II” director and MTV blogger Eli Roth pointed out one significant difference between the two series: There’ll be no more sequels to his. Ever. “There are no more ‘Hostels’,” a defiant Roth revealed to us this week. “There is ‘Hostel’ and ‘Hostel 2’ and that’s it. It’s like ‘Kill Bill Volume 1’ and ‘Kill Bill Volume 2.’”

When “Part II” hits theaters June 8th, it will pick up at the same gruesome moment where last year’s torture blockbuster ended - much like such Roth favorites as “Halloween 2.” Calling out lame sequels that manufacture plots simply to bring back characters, the down-to-earth writer/director insisted that his two freaky flicks have said all there is to say.

“I hate a lame third sequel, and I don’t want there to be one,” Roth said. “I wish ‘Beyond Thunderdome’ didn’t exist; I wish there was just ‘Mad Max’ and ‘The Road Warrior.’ I really wasn’t crazy about ‘Spider-Man 3.’ I wanted it after ‘Spider-Man 1’ and ‘Spider-Man 2,’ but with ‘Spider-Man 3’ I was really disappointed when I saw that film; that will never happen with ‘Hostel.’”

Instead, Roth will turn his attention to the upcoming projects “Cell” (an adaptation of the Stephen King zombie book) and “Trailer Trash” (a “Kentucky Fried Movie”-like flick filled with fake trailers). Eli swung by the MTV studios bearing tons of info about those upcoming flicks, as well as some exclusive “Hostel” goodies. Keep checking back, as we’ll roll them out in the next few days!

She’s a literary heroine and a super-sleuth of the highest caliber, but ask 16-year-old star Emma Roberts what the first thing those unfamiliar with Nancy Drew should know about the character and, well, it doesn’t take a detective to figure out what’s on most young girls’ minds. “All her outfits are really, really cute, ” said the actress, “but they’re all very matching and tailored and prim and proper. She’s a perfectionist, every mother’s dream child.” Laughing, she added, “So kind of unlike me.”

The actress says she’ll get a chance to put more of herself into her next role, in the film “Wild Child.” “It’s about a spoiled, Malibu princess who gets shipped off to boarding school in England for her bad behavior,” Roberts revealed of the plot. “[I identify with her] a little bit. She’s very sassy and stuff, so yeah.” The upcoming movie will begin shooting in June, Roberts said, after which she’ll once again suit up as the junior detective. A sequel to “Nancy Drew” has already been announced, months before the first film even hits theaters.

“I’m just so thrilled for Nancy Drew, she’s such an iconic character and I just loved being able to play her,” Roberts enthused. “I would love to go back and do it again.”

Eli Roth has been documenting the making of “Hostel: Part II” with a series of diary entries for MTV. Yesterday he discussed his battles and unlikely friendship with the MPAA. Today Roth talks about hearing the final sound mix for the film for the first time.

Once the film’s cut, we mix the sound, which is what I’ve been doing at the Alfred Hitchcock Stage at Universal Studios for the past two weeks. Our mixers, Chris Jenkins and Frankie Montano, are awesome, and just did “300,” amongst other films. They’re amazing. My sound guys — Brian Best, Kami Asgar and Sean McCormack — are doing all the sound design, continuing the work they did from the first “Hostel.” I worked again with my composer Nathan Barr, who I have worked with since “Cabin Fever,” and he did another brilliant, terrifying score.

I obsess over every sound detail, and have to hear every single branch crack, footstep, and knife stab in every scene before we mix it. If something doesn’t sound right in my mind’s ear it will drive me crazy, and Brian will go and search for the sound until he has it exactly. The simplest sound can make a scene scary, even when you never intended to have it there in the first place. We can add a door creak or a metal scrape to an empty room, and suddenly it feels more creepy. You can’t really explain it, you just have to feel it. We just played back the film and listened to all the reels all mixed. It was horrifying. Some of the scenes sound so beautiful you could just lie there and listen to the music for hours, and other scenes are so horrific and painful you’re certain the screams will give you nightmares. But seeing the film today I felt a great sense of inner peace. It was the first time I’d seen the film all together, with music and sound effects. Read more…

In today’s Dailies: Craven’s “House” gets raided, a Lostie snags corpses and Harvey Dent does Dr. Phil (not in that way). Eh, slow news day.

- The Greeks, fresh off their “300” success, turn their eyes toward remaking Wes Craven’s “The Last House on the Left.” (Hollywood Reporter)

- The Weitz Brothers set to adapt author Michael Moorcock’s “Elric” fantasy saga. (Empire)

- “Lost” star Dominic Monaghan plays Victorian-era grave robber in “I Sell the Dead.” (AICN)

- World’s prettiest comedian Dane Cook plans for Lionsgate’s “Bachelor No. 2.” Something about getting hired to take people’s ex-girlfriends on horrible dates so they come crawling back. (Hollywood Reporter)

- Aaron “Harvey Dent” Eckhart to play self-help guru in drama pic “Traveling.” (Variety)

We don’t like to deal in rumors and hearsay, but this tidbit straight from the mouth of Judd Apatow himself is too juicy to pass up. While Apatow’s next movie “Knocked Up” stars longtime friend Seth Rogen, it wasn’t meant to be that way. In fact, on the list of candidates to play the male lead of “Ben Stone,” Rogen ended up near the bottom.

“Seth was the tenth actor to attempt to play the part, and nine other actors were fired,” Apatow revealed to MTV. “We would ask an actor to come out and shoot [a] scene, and I would come out and fire them or they quit.”

That revelation was an especially uncomfortable moment, particularly since Apatow was sitting next to Rogen at the time. So thank goodness he was kidding. The notion that rogen was the tenth choice to play the role is the concept for a fake documentary that Apatow will include on the “Knocked Up” DVD as a bonus feature. “[It’s] called ‘Finding Ben Stone’ and it’s a search for who will play this character,” said the director who’s quickly becoming a comedy legend. “You see all of the other actors who I fired before I found Ben. So we have James Franco, and David Krumholtz, and Gerry Bednob who is Mooj from the ‘40 Year Old Virgin.’ At one point I thought I could be the lead, and Justin Long is in it. It’s very funny, and it makes me look like an ass.”

Is Apatow turning into Christopher Guest? “Finding Ben Stone” isn’t the only fake documentary Apatow is planning for the DVD, he divulged. “There’s another fake documentary about the fact that I’m fighting with the studio so much, that they send [”Capote” director] Bennett Miller to oversee the shoots,” Apatow chuckled. “He’s trying to take control of the movie and it ends up in a big fist fight between me and Bennett. [Very] funny.”

“Knocked Up,” starring Seth rogen, Katherine Heigl and Paul Rudd, arrives in theaters on June 1st.

“Mr. Brooks” is being heralded as the triumphant re-return of Kevin Costner; whether or not that’s the case, it’ll at least be known as the first serious role for comedian Dane Cook. The pic, which also stars Demi Moore and William Hurt, features Costner as Mr. Brooks, a seemingly perfect gentlemen who also happens to be a serial killer. All well and dandy until someone (Cook) witnesses his crimes, and gets hunted by a tenacious detective (Moore). Catch “Mr. Brooks” in theaters on June 1st, but for now watch an exclusive clip below.