Right on the tail of me writing about Jackson returning to Ironman, we find out a little more about why Terrance Howard was replaced for Ironman2.
He doesn’t know.
Apparently much of the explanation buzz online that Howard was barking for a bigger payday were news to him as well.
Chud quotes Howard who was asked if he knew about this:
It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. [The contract] just…up and vanished. I read something in the trades implicating that it was about money or something, but apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren’t worth the paper that they’re printed on, sometimes. Promises aren’t kept, and good faith negotiations aren’t always held up.
It is noted in the article that much of Howard’s responses began with a sigh, which implies to me that he is in the dark as well about the situation.
So he gets replaced (by a better actor – not complaining) without so much as a conversation with the studio. Sounds like this changing of the guard, though positively met by fans is just a bitter and harsh reality to the unexpecting Terrance Howard.
I liked Howard in the role, and I didn’t mind his presentation of the man who would be War Machine. I would have been ok with him taking the role. But if they are going to nail it, they need a better hammer. But if you are going to replace the guy, have the balls to do it to his face.
I still have high hopes for the film, but I am very sympathetic to Howard’s situation if he is in the dark as he suggests.
I’m glad he is replaced.He has always seemed stuck up to me.Don is a better choice,he seems like an average intelligent black man,unlike terrance “stuck-up”howards.
I loveTarrance Haward. But things happen for a reason. I truly belive that somthing better is coming for Mr. Haward. I love him and I’m praying for him.
Don a better actor? Maybe. Perhaps. I believe theres an arguement to be made for both on this one. Its not like comparing Daniel Day Lewis to Paul Walker. They are both good actors. Heres my complaint….In this particular role….Don is a horrible choice. He doesn’t even fit that part remotely. On a side not…I’m willing to be more people know Terrance Howard than Don Cheadle right now….
I don’t know how I feel about this. I feel for him, the guys a respectable actor. Why the replacement? Howard isn’t exactly a box office pull, but Cheadle couldn’t really make that big of a difference. Don Cheadle is a great actor, probably better, but even so…
BAH!!!!….what the…….
.terrance is the best 4 war machine….
I really liked Terrance Howard’s character in Iron Man. I think he was a likable and funny character and I was really looking to seeing him in the sequel. It just totally sucks to find out now that he isn’t going to be in it. At times, I just really hate studios.
If there is something to it, I’m not good with it. I was hoping for, at best, schedule conflict, personal issues, something. All this sounds like to me is a case of Hollywood politics. We can say Cheadle was great in Crash. So was Howard.
Like I said before, a guy in a armor suit that gives him the extra bulk and height, how tall Cheadle-or even Howard- is irrelevant.
i prefer howard to cheadle personally.i think howard is one of the best actors around at the moment.
somethings missing here.
@HDPunk… yes. I can. The armour looks the same no matter who is in it. Cheadle will simply play the accomplished military leader better than Howard.
@BJon, I can see how that killed franchises like Bond. Replacing actors. For shame.
can anyone here imagine Cheadle in the war machine armor?
if it aint broke don’t fix it marvel
I can’t say I like this at all. I’m all for my dark brothas bein on screen but Howard look more like the guy. He has a stronger build and his posture is perfect. He looks like war machine even without the suit on! I don’t give a shit if Don Cheedle is a better actor. He is! BUT they already had Howard in the movie and they shoulda kept him in the damn chair. So annoying.
It’s like a 80’s franchise or something. Changing the actors over and over and over again like nobody’s gonna fuckin notice or something.
To use the language of the youngsters: Epic Fail.
I think this whole situation sucks. Cheadle may be a better actor but I feel Terrance Howard is a better fit for the road.
I was the one saying Cheadle is a better actor. I did not assume they were replacing Howard for that reason.
You can all relax now.
The fact remains that Howard is saying he doesnt know why he was replaced, and until something solid comes out from the studio or other official source, we wont either.
I think Cheadle is better. I didn’t say thats WHY he was replaced. Just my opinion. And I look forward to him in the role.
Its hard out there for a pimp.
So chemistry can NEVER be good if you already had good chemistry with someone else in the same role?
I will be sure to inform my wife that. My ex-wife will be thrilled.
And the “chemistry” they had was hardly inspiring. For the better part of the movie he ignored his friend and treated him like an employee… hardly iconic chemistry. What they had can be replaced.
RDJ and Howard had awesome chemistry in the first Iron Man. You can’t keep that chemistry when you bring in a new actor to play the same role. You just can’t. My vote is for stupid fuckin’ move.
I cant honestly see Cheadle in this role. He seems to small to me. I love Cheadle as an actor but I just dont think it fits.
Did anyone excect Terrance Howard to come out and say “Wow did I ever fuck up. Guess I shouldn’t have been so greedy”?
This would have been his response either way. In addition to the fact that it could have been his agent asking for more cash without ever running it past Howard.
“FACT: Howard was “ok” in Iron Man.”
um thats not a fact thats a opinion…..are you new?
better actor? why cause he was in hotel rwanda? ok what about crash…these are just opinions and there not shared by the all..i personally like howard better…why? cause i happened to very much like his character in crash and i thought that hustle and flow was ground breaking…of course not all feel that way but i really think that these are biased opinions….to say that terrence is not on par with cheadle is …well…very bland and poor choice of judgement…
ps i am not saying his performance was ledgeresque but to act like howard isnt capable of acting great is just a flaw that you people are not owning up to.
Terrible decision, why change the continuity by replacing HBoward when he was a great chocie to begin with, and cheadle is not the action hero type, I think maybe the writers plan to do something big with War Machine, so they thought they needed a better actor, someone with drama skills, but I seriously doubt he’ll nail the role.
So many of you have said the same things here, but one thing I would disagree with is that Cheadle is the better actor. I like Cheadle and Howard both, but I can’t see Cheadle bringing this role to life and I don’t understand the change of hands here.
so Cheadle is the better actor, that doesnt mean he should replace howard. its not like howard is a terrible actor…
Daniel Day-Lewis is a great actor, but that doesnt mean i want him to replace christian bale in batman 3.
Nineshooter is right. Howard was good but not extraordinary. He doesn’t deserve a monster pay-raise.
The thing that makes this big news, at least to me, is that this isn’t the first contract dispute to come out of Iron Man 2. Favs was almost out the door too, apparently due to $$$$ issues. Either the cast and director are asking for too much, or Marvel is low-balling like crazy. It also screws with continuity, but truth be told, I’m there to see Downey, not his supporting cast. Th switch will bug me for thirty seconds when Cheadle comes onscreen before I let it go and go with the flow.
Why are some people acting like Howard gave us a comparable performance to Ledger in The Dark Knight?
FACT: Howard was “ok” in Iron Man. He wasn’t really all that good. It was a simple part with next to no challenge in it that just about any simpleton could have played.
Just because you love Iron Man doesn’t mean you have to praise every actor in it like they gave an Oscar performance people. Get some perspective.
I’m not sure what to take at face value, so I’m not going to believe any of talk until an official statement is released. I feel bad for Terrance and hope he hasn’t been replaced especially in such an awful manner.
I strongly doubt that is true. STRONGLY doubt it.
Howard probably got cocky and asked for more money so they tossed his greedy ass out on the street.
Why else would they replace him? The character was introduced with him playing the part. Fans liked him. Audiences apparently liked him, the film was a hit. Why would the studio change a winning team? Sony didn’t replace James Franco in SPIDERMAN, which is probably a comparable character.
They wouldn’t change a winning team for no reason.
There was certainly something going on that Howard is not telling us about. I want to hear what the studio has to say and then I choose which version to believe.
If Howard is indeed speaking the truth (and there’s nothing more to be revealed in the darkness), then that just sucks!
My respect for Marvel just went down somewhat of an amount.
Sure, I get it. Movie business is still pure business, but this is just playing dirty. I can’t even see Cheadle as Rhodey. He screams more “technician geek” than “War Machine”. I hope that’s not the ‘new angle’ on the character…
Don Cheadle is one of my favorite actors, but I don’t see him as being the best fit for this character. The underhanded way the studio went about axing Howard only makes it worse.
as long as cheadle doesn’t try to do a cockney accent…
What a bitch move. I loved Terrance as Rhodie and he would have been a great War Machine. It’s mind boggling to see how studio decisions are made. I really love Don Cheadle’s work, but I can’t be happy about this.
Just a few months earlier, Howard stated to MTV News how excited he was about the new movie:
“I’m anxious to get into the next one. I don’t want to be a sidekick. I don’t want to be a wingman. I want to have my own thing, I want to be War Machine.”
this sounds like someones not telling the truth. the studio just upped and let him go without mentioning it to him. what if the whole money angle was a rumor??
wouldn’t faveau fight to keep him in for continuity sake, unless it was unreasonable???
there so many factors, i wonder if we’ll get some answers
if this is true, then it is truly messed up.
Marvel played dirty,and that’s not cool, but at least they didn’t trade down. I like Don’s work and I think he’ll be more memorable as Rhodey than Howard was. It’s shame though-Howard was excited about eventually suiting up as War Machine, now his dream will fade away.
We’ll see what happens.
Don may have better chops according to general concensus, does that mean that cheadle is better suited for this role? Of course no.
Poor decsion, they just couldn’t help screwing themselves. Hope this isn’t a sign of more poor decsions to come.
I wonder if the pay-raise rumor got to the studios first? I didn’t see any reason to replace the actor.
I’m left with sour grapes in my mouth.
Poor Terrance