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Post by Erik on Oct 14, 2008 5:10:42 GMT -5
By Borys Kit Tue Oct 14, 2:13 AM ET
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In a surprise move, Don Cheadle will replace Terrence Howard as Robert Downey Jr's best friend in "Iron Man 2," the sequel to the superhero saga.
In the Marvel Studios summer smash, Howard played Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark/Iron Man's future armor-clad hero War Machine. One scene featured Howard looking at a silver suit of armor and saying "Next time," a line that caused great delight for fans.
But there will be no next time for Howard.
Marvel had no comment, but sources close to the deal said negotiations with Howard fell through over financial differences, among other reasons. Marvel, which had wanted to work with Cheadle, then decided to take the role in another direction and approached the actor, who is shooting Antoine Fuqua's "Brooklyn's Finest" with Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke.
The Rhodes character is expected to play a larger part in the sequel, which is rumored to go beyond high-tech villains. Justin Theroux is writing the screenplay.
Jon Favreau is returning as director, and Downey is expected back as billionaire industrialist Stark/Iron Man. Gwyneth Paltrow also is expected to be back as Stark's assistant, Pepper Potts. "Iron Man 2" is scheduled for release on May 7, 2010;
Cheadle most recently starred in "Traitor," a thriller on which he was also a producer. He will next be seen in DreamWorks' "Hotel for Dogs."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
I bolded what I thought was important to notice.
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Post by tombitd on Oct 14, 2008 6:24:29 GMT -5
Well....as much as I liked Howard's performance, my admiration for Don Cheadle is very well documented. I'm looking forward to see how he handles Rhodey.
)Incidentally, for those of you who remembered my short-lived stint on GHOST RIDER for M2K, my rework of Brother Voodoo was patterned visually after Mr. Cheadle)
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Post by chrisj on Oct 14, 2008 10:02:03 GMT -5
I thought Howard did a great job in Iron Man. Sad that his "next time" line isn't going to be fulfilled.
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Post by tombitd on Oct 14, 2008 20:13:52 GMT -5
I thought Howard did a great job in Iron Man. Sad that his "next time" line isn't going to be fulfilled. I thought he was great, too--IRON MAN is one of the most perfectly cast super-hero movies ever. But if Howard had to leave, I'm extremely happy to see Don Cheadle step in as Rhodey. And can the comment about moving away from high tech opponents mean we'll see Rama become The Mandarin?
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Post by Derrick on Oct 15, 2008 17:10:58 GMT -5
Terrence Howard has also been concentrating on being an R&B singer. I believe he either has a CD out now or he's working on one. I read somewhere he's been making club appearances and is very serious about being a singer. From the little I've heard, this isn't a lark or a whim. He's very serious about this.
I dunno why he couldn't have continued to work on his singing and appear in IRON MAN 2 as well. But I'm gonna be honest with you guys: If it came down a choice between losing Jon Favreau or Terrance Howard, I'd rather lose Howard. Don Cheadle is a terrific choice. He was fantastic in the recent TRAITOR, one of the best thrillers I've seen this year.
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Post by chrisj on Oct 15, 2008 19:29:40 GMT -5
And can the comment about moving away from high tech opponents mean we'll see Rama become The Mandarin? That would be my guess. Personally I'm hoping to see the Ghost and Spymaster sabotage Stark Industries before they bring out the grand poobah.
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