No rumors here folks – we’ve got some rock solid, straight from Marvel Studios news regarding the Avengers, Iron Man 2 & 3, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. and the final word on the the Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard story.
That’s a lot of stuff for one post!
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Highlights:
- Robert Downey Jr. has signed a FOUR picture deal with Marvel Studios. Presumably this means two more Iron Man movies plus the Avengers film.
- Jon Favreau will direct Iron Man 2, but there’s no word at this time whether he will direct Iron Man 3. Favreau will not be directing Avengers, but will be Executive Producer on the film.
- It’s now official that Don Cheadle has replaced Terrence Howard as James Rhodes – not only in Iron Man 2 (and 3) but also in the Avengers movie. (Terrence Howard must be hating life right now.)
- It seems that Hulk will not be the villain in the Avengers movie, but he will be teaming up with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor (yes, Thor) and other unspecified superheroes to battle some formidable foe.
I know that many people wanted Jon Favreau to direct Avengers, but with the release dates of that film and Iron Man 2 just over a year apart, there was no way he could direct both (even though he wanted to). Personally I can’t wait until the details spill on the whole Marvel Studios/Terrence Howard fallout.
The official press release from Marvel Studios is below:
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AND JON FAVREAU SUIT UP FOR MARVEL STUDIOS’ THE AVENGERS AND IRON MAN 2
As part of his four picture deal with Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. is appearing as Tony Stark in THE AVENGERS motion picture, as well as reprising his starring role as the larger-than-life leading character in IRON MAN 2. Jon Favreau will return to direct the sequel to the blockbuster IRON MAN, which to date has grossed over $578 million worldwide, as well as executive produce THE AVENGERS.
Academy Award® nominee Downey was most recently seen in the summer comedy blockbuster TROPIC THUNDER starring opposite Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Before Iron Man, he was best known for his film roles in KISS KISS BANG BANG, WONDER BOYS and CHAPLIN, the film for which he was nominated for an Oscar®.
In addition to directing the first IRON MAN, Favreau has previously directed ELF, ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE and MADE. He is also well known for writing and starring in SWINGERS. He will next be seen acting in FOUR CHRISTMASES, I LOVE YOU MAN and COUPLES RETREAT.
DON CHEADLE WILL STAR AS RHODEY IN IRON MAN 2
Marvel Studios is pleased today to confirm that an agreement has been finalized with award-winning actor Don Cheadle to take on the role of Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes in Marvel’s IRON MAN 2 due in theaters on May 7, 2010. In casting Cheadle, Marvel replaces Terrence Howard who appeared in the role of Rhodey in Iron Man.
Cheadle is also signed on to perform the same role in THE AVENGERS and subsequent installments of the IRON MAN franchise.
“We are very excited about working with the extraordinarily talented Don Cheadle as we expand the role of Rhodey in Iron Man 2. It has already become apparent as we prep the movie for production, that the dynamic between Robert and Don will take Iron Man 2 to new heights,” said Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios.
Cheadle is best known for his Oscar® nominated lead performance in HOTEL RWANDA as well as his role as Basher Tarr in the OCEAN’S franchise, CRASH and SWORDFISH.
Based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero, IRON MAN 2 continues the story of this summer’s box office blockbuster IRON MAN, the first feature film produced independently by Marvel Studios. IRON MAN 2 will be produced by Marvel Studios’ President, Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Denis Stewart.
In a movie event, THE AVENGERS will bring together the super hero team of Marvel Comics characters for the first time ever, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and more, as they are forced to band together to battle the biggest foe they’ve ever faced.
The highly anticipated sequel to IRON MAN will be released in theatres on May 7, 2010 and THE AVENGERS will be released July 15, 2011. Both films will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.
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80 Comments
I’m truly bummed that Downey wanted Cheadle in his Iron Man films…
That’s the real story,,,(btw)
Downey, and Cheadle have been friends for a long time…
No,the Real story Is Howard clearly asked for more money and was dealt with.
Its both Gary, but Downey had final say…
In the long run its gonna coast Marvel just as much with Cheadle… He’ll get over 30 mil+ for Iron Man2,,, if the film hits a certain profit mark, his salery will double for the Avenger films…
It will be worth if the film makes a profit .
Look at it this way, We are not just talking about the next sequel, but also the Avengers franchise.
The studio has quite an investment in Cheadle.
It will pay off BIG TIME down the road.
I THINK THIS PROVES 790 IS RIGHT
790,
I broke the code before I even read your comments.
>>It has already become apparent as we prep the movie for production, that the dynamic between Robert and Don will take Iron Man 2 to new heights,” said Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios.<<
Look at the diplomacy here. “the dynamic between Robert & Don” taking the franchise “to new heights”?
After parsing political bloviations for the past two years, interpreting this is a piece of cake. It alludes to a conflict between Downey & Howard, or (as 790 says) Downey’s preference for Cheadle.
DOWNEY’S FOURTH MOVIE?
I’m playing detective tonight. Downey’s fourth Marvel movie may not be Iron Man 3. He could have a supporting role in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, Captain America, or something else. If so, he may appear only as Stark, not necessarily as Shellhead.
Just FYI,,,,
The 1998 version of “Nick Fury of SHEILD” , starring David Hasselhoff, is now available on dvd,,,(for like 13 bucks)
Who gets $30 million 790? Do you mean Downey? How can Cheadle possibly warrant that big of a paycheque? Would he not do it for $5 million?
I don’t know how its possible that they’d need to pay him even remotely close to what TOM HENKS is getting for Angels and Demons, let alone possibly double that for a minor role in the Avengers.
Why do people want Favreau to do the Avengers? I definately do not want that. I want to see what he can do with Iron Man 2 before I give him a full roster of the biggest superheroes and A-list actors, heh.
I think it’s best the directors of the solo films stay out of the team-up movie. We don’t need bias and screentime problems screwing with the story *cough* X-men 3 *cough*.
whoops, typo. That’s Tom Hanks with an “a”.
Also, I’m glad Hulk is with the avengers and not against. I’ve been saying that would be a bad idea in all the threads on this.
Thanks to RDJ,,,
This is THE PAY DAY for Cheadle,,,
Hulk has to be the enemy is the Avengers film, how can a beast like him possibly team up with anybody?it would just be plain stupid.
I couldn’t care less about War machine, he’s not even part of the |Avengers.
I still think the Avengers will have a tough time “convincing” Hulk to “join” their team
@The Glove
If you think about it, the only time Hulk hasn’t been heroic in both films is when he’s being chased/attacked.
Vic
Downey did appear in The Incredible Hulk.
that could have been part of the four picture deal .
I doubt very seriously that cameos count as an appearance in a multi-movie deal.
And Gary what is it going to take to get you to stop using that email address when commenting?
Vic
I think all of this is great news. First, I never really wanted to see the Hulk as the villain in the Avengers, even though I thought it would happen anyway. I’ve always wanted to see the on screen Hulk have more control over himself, even talk to other characters. I think the lack of verbal interaction between Hulk and others makes him more of a monster or beast than hero.
Second, It’s great to see RDJ locked down for some Iron Man action over the next couple of years. He absolutely IS Tony Stark and if they had tried to recast him, even after IM2, it would’ve been a mistake. The only thing that should take RDJ away from Iron Man is severe signs of aging.
Third, I am glad to hear that they will make an Iron Man 3. Too many people just assume its impossible to make a good third installment in a hero franchise. I disagree. It just hasnt been done yet. They need a good script and great actors. Well, they got the actor part. Now give us a couple of good scripts for Iron Man. And please, no multiple villain nonsense!
Finally, the fact that Fav’s is involved in the Avengers is great news. He knows how to make a great Marvel flick, and since he can’t direct, get him into the decision making process. Marvel should really listen to what he says. That can only make the Avengers better.
And on a side note, now that Hulk is ruled out as villain, Who do you guys think will be the villain in the Avengers? Personally I think that if Marvel is willing to add a hero based very much in fantasy and mythology (Thor) there shouldnt be a problem adding a similar type of villain. I don’t want to see Skrulls, Im tired of alien invasions. Maybe they should give us some Loki. Or the Mandarin and make Fing Fang Foom his ally for some reason.
So what do you guys think?
recastings, never good! I really loved how he played his character, what a shame…
I am so tired of so many actors getting parts because of who they are instead of if they really can fit the role…war machine jim rhodes was an outsanding athlete, they better gear up cheadle to put on some 30 pounds of muscle, I for one just can’t see samuel L jackson as Nick Fury….what the hell are they thinking.
@l a
Have you seen the Ultimate version of Nick Fury? It was designed with Sam Jackson in mind. Looks just like him. If you saw it, you’d see it was a great choice. But I will agree with you on Cheadle. He isnt big enough. He’d better start bulking up right now or it will look silly. I may be the only one who thinks this, but Cheadles physical appearance in relation to the characters appearance is kind of like Brandon Routh in Superman. They are both way to skinny for the role.
They are fast tracking Iron Man 2, so I am a little worried that Cheadle might not have time to put on enough muscle. My only hope is that Rhodey wears the War Machine armor long enough on screen to hide his smaller stature.
Is Nick Fury in Ultimate black???
I just found this on Digg. I think some people here will get a good laugh out of this…
Are you upset that Terrance Howard was replaced with Don Cheadle in the upcoming Iron Man sequel? Make your voice heard. Please visit:
http://www.howardnotcheadle.com/Site/IM2WM.html
I thought it was absolutely hilarious that anyone takes it this seriously. Anyone who regularly reads my posts here on screenrant can tell you I wasnt pleased with Cheadle replacing Howard, but this? This is someone with a way too much time on their hands. Anyone gonna sign?!?
@l a
Yes. Ultimate Nick Fury is black. The character was drawn with Sam Jackson in mind.
Ok, I havent read any of the ultimates, didnt like the X-men version so stopped there. Seeing my fav wolvie with only one hand put me in depression…..stopped reading comics after that
The best actor they could have gotten for Rhodey would have been Wesley Snipes; of course, can’t do that anytime soon. I have no problem with Cheadle, he’s a great actor.
I think a good villian for Avengers would be Loki teamed with Dr. Doom. Also, I think the end to “The Incredible Hulk” could have been Banner figuring out how to control the Hulk, just like in the comics. Of course, in the comics, Hulk with Banner’s intelligence was gray.
Actually if you go see the dvd version, you see Bruce banner in the end in a meditative state willingly with his eyes turning green but with a smile, meaning that is exactly what he is doing (to prepare for the avengers movie coming soon)
I am not sure I understand Vic.
My email address comes up automatically
when I post a message
if there is a way to block it out I am unaware of it .
no offense was intended .
Okay they said threat, so that means sinulgar. That means that possible villains include: Ultron, Mandarin, Skull, Krang, and…Zemo. I’m voting for Ultron who’s with me?
@Gary
Please email me via the “drop us a note” link below so we can get this figured out. I haven’t emailed you because I just figured it would bounce along with all the other emails.
Sorry about the ‘tude, bud.
Vic
@John Taylor
Can’t have Dr Doom in the Avengers. Marvel does not currently hold the rights to that character. Although that would be cool.
@G.K
I’ve always liked Ultron as a villain, but how would they do it? Would they establish Ultron in another movie first, because his origin may take a while to do. Who would build Ultron? Pym? I’d kinda like to see the origin twisted as an Iron Man armor that was built to be automated, but it all goes horribly wrong…
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