Cheadle in Iron Man?!

How’s this for surprising news? Terrence Howard, the first actor cast in IRON MAN, will not be returning for the film’s sequel. Marvel has instead cast Don Cheadle to replace Howard as Jim Rhodes, who is expected to have a much larger role in the sequel. Though neither side made an official comment, negotiations for Howard fell through because of financial differences. Likely Howard, sensing he was going to be a much larger part of the IRON MAN franchise, wanted some big bucks but Marvel played hard ball after already shelling out big bucks to director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey, Jr. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel had “wanted to work with Cheadle” and when the deal with Howard fell through, they decided to take the character of Jim Rhodes in a “different direction.” Huh? What exactly does that mean? This is disappointing news for a property that was operating with almost unheard of levels of positive buzz. Howard was a big “Iron Man” fan and was really looking forward to becoming War Machine in the sequels. While THE DARK KNIGHT showed that a superhero movie can overcome recasting of a lead (Maggie Gyllenhaal for Katie Holmes), Howard and his character were expected to be a much larger part of IRON MAN’s future than Rachel Dawes. Thoughts? Concerns? Strike back below…