No Howard For Iron Man 2

In a shock move, Marvel Studios has recast the role of Jim Rhodes for Iron Man 2, the sequel to the second highest grossing film of the year, Iron Man. Terrance Howard, who did a fantastic job as Tony Stark’s best friend and confidant, will now be played by Don Cheadle. Signs point to a disagreement over money, as Howard had stated many times over the course of production/promotion that he has quite the affinity for the franchise and its characters.

While I have no beef with Cheadle (I think he’s a phenomenal actor), I take this as bad news – Terrance Howard and Robert Downey had amazing chemistry onscreen, and Howard fit the role to a tee. I was looking forward to his part in IM2 even more, with the tease and eventual confirmation that Rhodey will step up and don the armor as the fan-favorite War Machine character. 

All we can do is trust Sir Favreau and let the chips, or repulsor blasts, fall where they may. It could be a lot worse if all we have to settle for is a great actor like Don Cheadle. Many fans consider the role twist of the Rachel Dawes character to be the one weak point of The Dark Knight, but the Rachel Dawes character sucked, as did Katie Homes. This is one instance where we are getting one stellar grade actor for another.

But damn… Terrance Howard was great.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter