awww, why Howard is out? what happened?

'Iron Man 2': How Terrence Howard Lost His Metal
Marvel's decision to recast the role of Col. Jim Rhodes said to be a combination of salary issues and concern about the performance


HOWARD'S END Robert Downey Jr. and the actor in Iron Man

When a summer blockbuster grosses more than $300 million, putting together a sequel is typically as simple as throwing buckets of money at your stars and signing a few pieces of paper. That hasn't been the case with Iron Man 2. It took months for Marvel Studios to lock in director Jon Favreau for the sequel. And reports that Don Cheadle will replace Terrence Howard as Col. Jim Rhodes — a supporting character who seemed poised for a big role in the follow-up after he muttered ''Next time, baby'' to Iron Man's steel suit — hint that IM2 isn't quite as infallible as the superhero at its center.

Hollywood insiders believe the exit stems from Terrence Howard's difficult behavior on the set of Iron Man. But those with intimate knowledge of the situation suggest a far more dramatic backstory: Howard was the first actor signed to the film and, on top of that, was the highest-paid. That's right: more than Gwyneth Paltrow. More than Jeff Bridges. More than Robert Downey Jr. And once the project fully came together, it was too late to renegotiate his deal. It didn't help that, according to one source, Favreau and his producers were ultimately unhappy with Howard's performance, and spent a lot of time cutting and reshooting his scenes. (Favreau could not be reached for comment, while Howard's publicist says: ''Terrence had a tremendous experience working on Iron Man.'')

As such, when Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux went to map out the sequel they found themselves minimizing Howard's story line. Once Marvel learned that Favreau was thinking of curtailing the role, the studio went to the actor's agents with a new and drastically reduced offer — a number that's similar to what supporting cast members were paid for the first movie. The agents, according to sources, were so taken aback by this new figure — estimated at somewhere between a 50 and 80 percent pay cut — that they questioned it. Why did they blanch? Multiple sources say that Marvel execs never told Howard's reps that they had issues with the star's on-set conduct. (Marvel would not comment for this story.)

It's unclear whether Howard's team walked away first, or if Marvel ended the discussion at that point. Either way, the studio moved quickly to secure Cheadle and the story leaked out the next morning, Oct. 14. And alas for Howard, there will be no next time.

Why Howard was fired



Up until now we were left only to speculate why Terrence Howard was being replaced by Don Cheadle in IRON MAN 2. Now, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, we have some answers. Basically it was two reasons. Here's what went down: if you can believe this, Howard was the highest paid cast member on IRON MAN. Higher than Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges (this comes in part because Howard was the first actor to sign on to the film). Now during the filming of IRON MAN, director Jon Favreau was reportedly unhappy with Howard's performance in the film and while developing the sequel with writer Justin Theroux, they were drastically reducing the storyline for Rhodey and, theoretically War Machine. Marvel caught wind of this and weren't thrilled about paying Howard all that money for barely any screentime so they went to his agents with a salary renegotiation that included a more than 50% paycut. His reps were obviously not thrilled. Sounds like passive aggressive negotiating as clearly his reps could not accept such a drastically reduced salary and Marvel was able to hire Don Cheadle and allow Favreau to redevelop the Rhodey/War Machine character, which is what Marvel wanted in the first place. I'd be interested now to hear what Howard and Favreau have to say about all this but neither has spoken on the record since so we'll have to wait...

Extra Tidbit: What exactly do you think was Favreau's issue with Howard's performance and/or on-set behavior?

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20236884,00.html
http://www.joblo.com/why-howard-was-fired
 

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Downey Jr. Breaks Silence On Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle ‘Iron Man 2’ Swap



By now, all of fandom knows about Marvel Studios’ controversial Terrence-Howard-for-Don-Cheadle swap regarding the role of Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes in “Iron Man 2.” And despite weekly rounds of internet speculation about the move that even took the actors involved by surprise, very little has been said on record from anyone close to the production — until now.

Speaking exclusively with MTV News, “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. has broken his silence on the topic that has had the blogosphere buzzing over the past month. And despite the fact that the actor had very little to add to the discussion, he made it perfectly clear that his and director Jon Favreau’s first priority is making the best film possible and being respectful to the fans of the emerging franchise.

“I think the important thing with the ‘Iron Man’ franchise is to not do too much too soon and to make sure we don’t piss off the public that put us in the position we’re in,” said Downey. “We’ve just got to keep rolling up our sleeves higher and further up the elbow. If we show up and we’re in the right head space and our heart’s in the right spot and we really think about the audience at every turn and we don’t try to stamp our hipness onto anything. It’s very interactive.”

When asked if he had anything to do with the Howard/Cheadle switch, Downey immediately responded, “I had nothing to do with that decision. I love Terrence very very much. That’s all I’ll say because I haven’t talked to him yet.”

Furthermore, the “Iron Man” star makes it clear that he will not play favorites between the two equally talented actors, so if you’re looking for a juicy “good riddance” quote from Downey (who’s definitely not shy when it comes to speaking his mind), you won’t find it here.

“I’ve always admired Don [Cheadle],” said Downey. “It’s one of those situations where I still don’t quite know what happened or why. Here’s what happens too: things happen and you wind up commenting on them before you’ve actually talked to the people and it’s in poor taste.”

Be sure to check back here for more from Downey, including hints as to what fans can expect out of “Iron Man 2” as well as his thoughts on the upcoming “Avengers” film!

Do you think Don Cheadle or Terrence Howard would be a better fit to play off of Downey? Sound off below!

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Iron Man 2’ Screenwriter Discusses Terrence Howard Departure, Role Of War Machine In Sequel

We may never know what ultimately led to the Don Cheadle/Terrence Howard switch on “Iron Man 2,” and if Robert Downey Jr. knows, well, he isn’t talking (at least to us).

But one reason it definitely did NOT happen is because the character of Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes was scaled back for the sequel, “Iron Man 2” screenwriter Justin Theroux told MTV News.

“I can’t really speak to the plot stuff and all the rest of it but Rhodes is completely present in a very strong and big way,” Theroux said of the man who would be War Machine. “He’s COMPLETELY present.”

The belief that the character was drastically reduced first came to our attention in an “Entertainment Weekly” article, which posited that Theroux and director Jon Favreau were minimizing the role.

“All that stuff that was in the ‘EW’ article,” Theroux started before a brief pause. “I don’t know. I can only tell you what I know which is that from a writing standpoint we didn’t do anything differently [with the character]. It’s not like we were sitting there going, we need less of this or that. We just approached the characters and the story on their own terms.”

Good news for fans of Jim Rhodes, who can now expect to see the character in at least as much action as the first. So what do you make of Theroux’s statements? Sound off on your thoughts below.

Is Iron Man Taking On Russian Bad Guys?



Yesterday we found out an Incredible Hulk sequel already has a villain lined up, regardless of there not being a green-lit movie yet. So what’s in store for Iron Man 2, which has been given the green light to move forward? We may have gotten our first look at plans for the movie’s villain, courtesy of some casting information for the sequel.

Spoiler TV has gotten some casting information for Tony Stark’s next adventure, with very brief information given on a male lead (“30s, Eastern European, brilliant, gritty”), female lead (“20s, beautiful, speaks several languages fluently and is equally proficient in martial arts”), and a “bruiser” type (“Russian, 20s or 30s, at least 6'2", able to perform own stunts, has the build of a MMA fighter”).

Now, that’s not a lot of information to go on, but even with limited knowledge of all things Iron Man, that female description stood out to me. It sounds like they’re putting the Black Widow into the next movie. The Widow is a Russian spy who has, at various times, worked with the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the KGB. She seems like a good addition to the mix, especially with S.H.I.E.L.D. appearing so prominently in the first Iron Man movie.

If the female lead is Black Widow, and the “bruiser”’s description is that of a Russian, that would make me think they’ll be focusing on Russia for the second picture, which would point to the primary villain being the Crimson Dynamo - another armored foe for Iron Man to face off against. My only complaint with that is that it could feel like we’re repeating the last movie. We’ve already had one armored foe for Tony Stark. Is another one really a good idea right on the heels of that? Is there enough flexibility in the world of armor wearing heroes and villains to offer enough of a difference in the movies, other than adding a Russian accent to this one?

This is all speculation built upon rumors, so don’t take it as fact. It is, however, the direction a lot of different people are steering their analysis (I saw a similar theory at io9 while looking up reminders of these characters), so it seems like the logical assumption. Whether it turns out to be true is yet to be seen.

‘Iron Man 2’ Screenwriter Justin Theroux Confesses There Is No Dialogue With Other Marvel Writers

If it wasn’t already, Robert Downey Jr’s recent comments to MTV News make one thing abundantly clear: As the flag bearers and gold standard for Marvel movies, the team behind “Iron Man” feels a great responsibility, not just to their own upcoming sequel, but to other Marvel properties as well.

So now that the “Narnia” duo of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have been tapped to pen “Captain America,” it’s a sure bet Downey, Favreau, and screenwriter Justin Theroux are burning through phone cards trying to connect. Right?

Wrong, said Theroux, who told MTV News that there was absolutely no dialogue between other Marvel writers and himself. None.

“You know, there’s NO dialogue right now - in a great way,” the scripter confessed. “I think [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige just wants to make sure we can make the best movie that we can make.”

What that means for now is that while Theroux is certain “Iron Man 2” will have even more comic cross-overs (perhaps Thor, perhaps Giant Man, perhaps someone else), he’s insistent he hasn’t yet been burdened with having to be the one to connect them all together – not even when it comes to the superhero tag-team up “Avengers.”

“No, not yet. But that being said, Kevin is in all the meetings for all the movies, and is the sort of connective tissue – the neurons if you will – running between the meetings. Making sure all the things can be connected,” Theroux explained. “But they haven’t burdened us with that yet. We’ve obviously kept an ear out for it, and we’re looking for ways to write that don’t bump [heads]. Once we sort of get to a more stable place at that point, we’ll see where to go from there.

“It’s not like someone holding the back of our necks saying, ‘Don’t forget, you got to write about so and so,’” Theroux continued. “It’s just making sure we get our story straight and great and then once that happens then we’ll be able to take in other obligations.”

Do you think the lack of communication will help or hurt Marvel’s upcoming slate of films? Talk it up in the comments!

Exclusive Scoop: The Player May Join Stark Industries



El Mayimbe here...

Got a new source and even though it is a tad bit late at night to double check, he passed my prelimanary source check and besides I figured this scoop is too damn hot to wait till morning. Anyway, we all need a jodido break from all these corny whack ass Batman 3 casting rumors.

Ya'll want some real Superhero casting news of the Marvel variety?

How about this!

From what I'm told, Tim Robbins is going to be playing Howard Stark in an important flashback sequence that is going to set up the Avengers and Captain America films.  Jon [Favreau] wanted to get a good actor because he didn't think the guy who played Howard in the last film could carry such an important scene. 

Makes sense to me because Howard Stark would be around the time of the Captain America Super Soldier experiment.



That is not all, check this out...

I'm also told that HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW are definitely in Iron Man 2 and they wont be cameos either.



You guys want to take this as a rumor due to the timing then it's all good with me till further notice.

Stay tuned as more develops and Happy Holidays folks!

rumors says tat kevin mckidd and triple h are the front runners for thor....

'Iron Man 2' 'casting' 'rumor': John Cho as the Mandarin?



EW scoop-hounds nowhere near the development of Iron Man 2 have learned that John Cho has been cast as the Mandarin in Jon Favreau's follow-up to the gold-plated blockbuster. Cho, having appeared as both Harold and Sulu, will make the Asian geek trifecta with this role as the power-ring-wearing, power-mad villain. Other horribly placed sources tell us that Tommy Chong is being eyed to play the Mandarin's father, who claims to be the real genius responsible for the weaponeering success of Howard Stark, Tony's beloved dad.

Does that sound real enough to start a casting rumor? Feels like it to me. After all, was there any more than that to go on when people started talking about Tim Robbins in Iron Man 2, Eddie Murphy as the Riddler in Batman 3, or Rachel Weisz as Catwoman in the same? (Let the record show that I am 100 percent in favor of a Rachel Weisz Catwoman.)

Is it a popularity thing, is that why people feel the need to start these rumors? What purpose do they serve, other to make people think you know more than anyone else? Why do these baseless rumors get any traction at all? Surely, we've got more important things to do with our time.

That said, I really would like to see Rachel Weisz as Catwoman. Which of these rumors do you wish were true? And, hey, wanna start one while you're at it?

‘Iron Man 2’ Screenwriter Insists Theme Of Sequel Will Be Identity



It came out of nowhere to surprise us all, and led in no small part to making Robert Downey Jr. the actor MTV News was most thankful for this year. But now that “Iron Man 2” is already full-steam ahead, what can or should be improved from the first film?

“I’m sure Rob would have a million answers!” screenwriter Justin Theroux exclaimed when we brought the question to him (And Downey certainly did have some “Iron Man 2″ answers for us.)

As for Theroux himself, however, the biggest difference, he says, won’t necessarily be an improvement, but a total paradigm shift in dealing with Tony Stark.

Which may or may not turn out to be, you know, better.

“The obvious thing to improve upon — well, it’s not even an improvement it’s just something to embrace — which is that he’s now a hero that lives in the real world. That’s unique,” Theroux said of Stark’s earth-shattering revelation at the end of the first film that he was Iron Man, making him the first-ever cinematic super without a secret identity.

It’s not a small distinction. There is a line between Clark Kent and Superman, or say, Bruce Wayne and Batman. You could even argue about both that one identity is the “real” one. There no longer is that line with Tony, which means, well, something big.

For his part, Theroux isn’t ready to talk specifics, but says the nature of his identity is something that’s going to be a monumental part of the second film.

“Yeah, it’s something that we’ve made a real decision to run towards rather than away from,” he said.

What do you think? How would you like the not so secret secret identity thing to play out in “Iron Man 2”? Sound off on your thoughts below.

Mickey Rourke sizes up 'Iron Man 2'
Actor may play Russian villian in Marvel sequel



In what would mark his first studio film since resurrecting his career with "The Wrestler," Mickey Rourke is in talks to play the heavy in "Iron Man 2," the Marvel Entertainment sequel that director Jon Favreau begins shooting this spring.

Rourke is in discussions to play a villain described as Tony Stark's Russian alter ego, a heavily tattooed bruiser who is in the arms trade and battles Iron Man in his own nuclear-powered armored suit.

Actor Sam Rockwell is in negotiations to play another villian in the pic.

The script -- which is still being written -- is a guarded secret, but speculation is that villain is likely comicbook nemesis Crimson Dynamo.

Rourke goes into the Golden Globe weekend vying for best actor in a role that revived his career. Downey soared to become one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood when "Iron Man" grossed over $600 million worldwide.

Paramount Pictures will distribute the film in summer 2010.

Rourke is repped by ICM.