Well, based on Marvel's timetable, Iron Man 2 will be in theaters within 2 years so I guess we should start the thread.

IESB is reporting that Marvel has signed Jon Favreau (FINALLY) to helm the next big adventure of Tony Stark.

Personally, 2 years doesn't seem like near enough time to get another film together. It appears that Downey, Jr is already signed for a Sherlock Holmes movie that will also release in 2010. I realize Marvel wants to keep the money flowing in (IM is up to $564 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo) but if the Dark Knight and X2 are any indication, movies tend to be better if given a little extra time.

Enter The Mandarin & War Machine:

scifi.com id=59912


[hr]
Favreau Reveals Iron Man 2 Secrets!

Iron Man director Jon Favreau told a small group of reporters that for the upcoming sequel, he wants to shoot in IMAX, possibly use 3-D technology, introduce the Mandarin and turn Terrence Howard's character into War Machine.

Favreau made the comments in a news conference Sept. 11 in Hollywood, where he and Iron Man co-creator Stan Lee were on hand to promote the Sept. 30 release of Iron Man on DVD.

Favreau joked about how pleased he was with the reviews and the box office--right up until The Dark Knight got better reviews and made even more money.

One aspect Favreau said that he would like to take from Dark Knight, budget permitting, is the use of IMAX. And if Favs has his way, he'd be interested in throwing 3-D into the mix as well.

"I would love to do 3-D," Favreau said, adding that he saw the use of IMAX and 3-D as ways to give people a reason to go to theaters.

Iron Man 2 already has a release date from Marvel of April 30, 2010, but Favreau and company are only in the early stages of scripting.


Iron Man director Jon Favreau spoke with reporters in Hollywood on Sept. 11 about the sequel.

"The writing [on Iron Man 2] is really coming along well," Favreau said. "We've got Justin Theroux [Tropic Thunder] working on it, who [Iron Man and Tropic Thunder star Robert] Downey [Jr.] knows. He brings a real sense of fun. He's never worked in this genre before, and so he has that great newcomer's enthusiasm that I think we still share."

Favreau added: "Pages are coming out, but it's really more of a conversation than actual writing. They are never really what they are going to be in the movie until the day you're shooting."

Favreau said that he and his colleagues are currently looking at a lot of the different comics in terms of creating a tone and coming up with ideas for characters. Matt Fraction's recent work on the Iron Man comic books has become the biggest source for the sequel, Favreau said.

"I'll tell you which [comic books] we're looking at very closely, not so much for story but for tone: the Matt Fraction [ones]," he said. "I haven't talked to him yet, but we want to talk to him and get him out here. The Fraction series seems to be informed as much by our movie as by what had happened with Iron Man before."

In terms of the villain, Favreau admitted that he is still struggling with the character of the Mandarin and how to properly translate him into the movie's world. Though he hints at a possible appearance in part two, he indicated that it's unlikely he will be the primary focus.




"We'll see how that basic group of four people moves forward towards the inevitable Avengers that's coming and how the Mandarin, how largely he looms in the next one, that's mostly what we're doing," Favreau said.

"I'm going to bring you up to speed in the movie and tell a fun story," Favreau added. "I [want to] up the ante in smart ways. ... You're going to see that the suit has changed more. ... That [Tony Stark, played by Downey] is making breakthroughs and innovation. [You'll see] what has happened since he said, 'I am Iron Man.'"

And what's up with the 800-pound gorilla in the room, War Machine, the superpowered character that Howard's Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes morphs into? "I want to do it," Favreau said enthusiastically. "We're drawing War Machine. We're figuring it out. We're talking to Terrence to see if he can take some time out of his new life as a musician to be War Machine. I think Terrence and the character of Rhodey were smaller in the first movie than we had anticipated. But it does set the table very well for this character."

Favreau added: "War Machine is fun, and, again, you look for ways to up the ante."

[hr]

comicbookmovie.com - Marvel Movies Date Updates from Paramount


[hr]
9/29/2008

We've just got word that there are some changes to the CBM calendar. Check out which films are affected.

Here's the meat and potatoes.

May 7th, 2010 - Iron Man 2

July 16, 2010 - The Mighty Thor: July 16, 2010
May 6, 2011 - The First Avenger: Captain America
July 15, 2011 - The Avengers

Marvel Entertainment's studio arm and Paramount pictures said today that they have agreed to partner for distribution and release of five self-produced feature films on a worldwide basis. The highly anticipated live action releases include Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010), Thor (July 16, 2010), The First Avenger: Captain America (May 6, 2011), and The Avengers (July 15, 2011). The distribution agreement also includes Iron Man 3.

"Coming off of 'Iron Man's' incredible success this summer, we could not be more excited about extending our relationship with Marvel," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. "Marvel's iconic brand, its popular characters and its proven ability to create compelling and visually spellbinding films complement Paramount's great history of filmmaking. We look forward to a long and successful run together."

"Paramount is an excellent partner and an outstanding global distributor," said David Maisel, Chairman of Marvel Studios. "Through our experience on 'Iron Man,' Paramount has demonstrated a passion and ability to release Marvel properties theatrically, allowing us to focus on making great movies for the largest audience possible."

[hr]

Still a big mistake. I don't care what Marvel thinks, Iron Man 2 needs more time than 2 years to pull together. Actually if you think about it, Marvel has left about a year and a half of time to do the sequel (after shitting around with Favreau for 3 months and the majority of the film needing to be complete about 3 months before release). And what about Downey, Jr. having other projects to do over the next 2 years (Sherlock Holmes and possibly Master Mind)? He can't spend most of that time on Iron Man 2 alone. Marvel needs to take a deep breath and move this film back to at least 2011. Favreau has said he doesn't agree with Marvel's time table either.

Yeah, you've got a point there. How long time did they spent making the first film?

Favreau was brought in April 2006, 2 years and a month before release. But Marvel had been trying to pull this together for quite some time before then. Either way, I would prefer at least an extra 7 months of prep instead of the year and a half they have left at this point.

I would prefer they give up the idea of the fucking played out Mandarin, timetables be damned. And speaking of timetables, sure more time will probably get a better movie in the end, but then I have to wait longer to see it. And I don't like that. So I'm kind of undecided there.

First Showing - Jon Favreau Chats With Fans About Iron Man 2

[hr]
October 2, 2008

On the release date: "The date is daunting. We are making much faster progress than the first time around and have much less to design and fewer casting issues. I am confident that 2010 is achievable if we continue working together as we have for the past few months. It has to be great, though. It has to be great."

On the film's progress: "I'm working with Justin [Theroux]. Justin is our writer. Robert Downey met him on Tropic Thunder. He's writing the first draft of the script. I'm working with a story board artist. As well as designing the costumes for good guys and bad guys."

On the continued role of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Sam Jackson as Fury: "S.H.I.E.L.D. is important to the franchise, and what is S.H.I.E.L.D. without Fury? We all came up with Sam [to play Fury]. I helped push for it."

On Terrance Howard as War Machine: "We need War Machine. Agreed. Shoulder cannons and all."

On the interrelationships of the Marvel Universe (and by extension, the possibility of an Avengers movie): "Avengers is going to be. Now that Marvel is making its own movies, every movie has to fit into the Marvel Universe. The Avengers incorporates not just Iron Man, but Thor possibly Hulk and traditionally Captain America as well. As it is scheduled, Thor will come out the same summer as Iron Man 2; Captain America will come out a few months before Avengers. All the films have to come together to create a consistent universe. I think its important for all filmmakers working for Marvel to collaborate so there is a consistency in the films, so yes they should keep in touch. I had not been in touch really with Louis Leterrier during Hulk and I think that would have been helpful. I hope to be in contact with directors in the future."

On villains the possibility of Mandarin: "I think we need some version of 'classic villains' in these movies. Many don't hold up well to time and to the big screen, but their essence should inspire the characters. Mandarin is still an important figure in the Iron Man universe. We have an interesting take on him that allows us to incorporate the whole pantheon of villains. The whole 10 rings thing in Iron Man was a good tease for it."

[hr]

Well, that is quite a 180 by Favreau. Back before he was signed for the second film (and Marvel had already set release for May 2010) he was very adamant that it wouldn't be enough time. Oh well, if he believes it can happen then I'm confident.

You know, Robert Downey Jr. is 43, not old by any means but older than say Bale or Maguire were at the start of their superhero careers. Given the lifespan Marvel envisions for this franchise I have to wonder if his age played a part in their decision to push the release date. I mean for all intents and purposes "Iron Man" was Downey's flick, Marvel probably wants to harvest as many eggs as possible from their golden goose.

I definitely can't wait for this, I loved Iron Man and no doubt this will be fun to watch too.

[hr]
Don Cheadle joins 'Iron Man 2'

October 14, 2008 Don Cheadle is stepping in to replace Terrence Howard in "Iron Man 2," Marvel Studios' sequel to its summer blockbuster. In the movie, Howard played Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark/Iron Man's best friend and future armor-clad hero War Machine. 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.

[hr]

Terrence Howard has dropped out of Iron Man 2 & is being replaced by Don Cheadle www.hollywoodreporter.com

Just have Downey play it. "I'm the dude playin the dude disguised as the super dude!"

Don Cheadle, hmmm Don Cheadle.

Well, so much for Iron Man 2!

As long as he doesn't have the accent from Ocean's Eleven, I guess I can live with it.

I'm not sure what to think about this. First, I hate it for continuity. And I'm not sure I can see Cheadle as that character. Then again, I couldn't have imagined Downey as Iron Man before it was announced so I guess I'll have to wait and see.

I wasn't really so hung up on the greatness of Howards performance as Rhodes to give a shit if he's replaced at this point. He has a handful of important moments in the first one, but seeing someone else in the role at this point doesn't bother me. Yet. Unless Cheadle sucks. But he is a pretty good actor. So I'm only nominally worried.

Cheadle's an interesting choice but not an unqualified one. "Iron Man 2" just got a whole lot more interesting in my view.

npr.org

[hr]
Terrence Howard Talks About Not Being In Iron Man 2

NPR, the popular yet most boring shit to listen to on the radio, had an interview with Terrence Howard where he talks about carpentry (Jesus complex. Kidding.) and galaxies. You really should hear the galaxies part. Only two types of people have this conversation. Normal people after drinking sixteen bottles of wine, or Terrence Howard.

But he's also asked about Iron Man 2. I'll transcribe it for you so you don't have to listen to the interview and fall asleep like I almost did. Well, except when he started talking about the universe, because that shit was gold.

You're not gonna be Jim Rhodes in Iron Man 2.

Howard: Ya, I found that out too.

Really? They didn't...

Howard: It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. I read something in the trades that implicated 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. And promises aren't kept. Good faith negotiations aren't always held up. You know, even friendships, people that you support...

And then he started talking about some shit when he was a kid or something. Let's look at what he says a bit more closely...

"The surprise of a lifetime" is not the appropriate thing to say when talking about not getting an acting role. Here's what it should be used for:

1. When the girl you slept with ten years ago knocks on your door to introduce you to Jr.

2. You round third base only to find out that cute chick you met at the bar has a bigger dick than you do.

3. "So Doctor, what's the story? I need plenty of rest?" "Well, got some good news and some bad news. Good news, it's not the flu. Bad news, it's AIDS."

Lets look at some of his other talking points then. He said contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Promises aren't kept and good faith negotiations aren't held up. If he signed a contract, then why would he need promises? I don't remember if he signed on for sequels like Downey initially did.

Now, some other websites are crying foul about how Terrence got screwed, how he should come back, etc. But we're only hearing one side of the story and we may never know the truth. For all we know, the guy could have been an enormous pain in the ass during the shoot of the first movie, and it was in everyone's best interest to just move on to another actor. Money? Maybe. But I think there could be more to it than that if the money excuse is news to even Terrence himself. I'm now about to dig a bit deeper into why this happened.

Here's a clue that comes later on in the interview that this whole thing may not have been about money at all. Terrence talks about the universe around the 11:10 mark. I'll kind of break it down for you. He did some math the other day and this is what he came up with. On his own, mind you:

May I ask finally, are you at a point in your life, where you realize, that life, like the universe, is finite?

Howard: Yes. I did some math a couple of days ago. And I said there's 6 billion human beings on this planet. And our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy, 600 quadrillion miles across, there's over a hundred billion stars. If you were to take each human being on this planet, and put them in a different star system on our very own galaxy there would still be 94 billion star systems. Unoccupied. [At this point you hear the biggest sigh ever heard from a host on public radio.] Life. Is extremely precious and that's why it's passed down from mother and father and it takes two to make one. That's how powerful and precious life is.

[hr]



Latino Review says that Terrance Howard had no idea that he wasn't going to be involved in the movie until it was announced to the world. Seems some politics are going on.

Also, Sam Jackson IS in the movie.

yeah, NPR had an interview with Howard the other day. He actually sounded sad about the whole thing, but he didn't go into too much detail.

ahhh good old jackson, pretty much willing to play in just about everything.

this is probably still early, but Latino Review says Tim Robbins will be playing Howard Stark in IIron Man.



also, Hawkeye and Black Widow will be included as well, and not tiny cameos either.

I wonder if they'll even bother to make Black Widow russian.

New info on villians! AICN Says Mickey Rourke will either play Whiplash or Crimson Dynamo

[hr]
if everything my sources inside Paramount have been telling me over the last few months is right, then Variety's assertion that he'll be playing Crimson Dynamo is the right one. I can at least say I've not once heard Whiplash mentioned as a possibility and if you listen to Favreau's statements about the villains coming out of today's headlines then the Russians certainly make more sense than a disgruntled Stark Industries applicant.

The Hollywood Reporter says the “Wrestler” star is negotiating to play Whiplash, a character who first appeared to combat Iron Man in 1968's Tales of Suspense #97. But a story in Variety differs with the Reporter, claiming that Rourke is actually up to play the supersuit-sporting Russian Crimson Dynamo, whose first print appearace was in 1963's Tales of Suspense #46.

The Reporter also says Sam Rockwell ("Frost/Nixon") is up for Tony Stark's multibillionaire rival, Justin Hammer. Hammer first appeared in a 1978 issue of Iron Man. In the funnybooks, Hammer was an arms manufacturer who funded supervillains.

[hr]


Nigga gotta EAT, Sam Jackson might not be in afterall!

latimesblogs.latimes.com nick-fury-no-mo.html

[hr]
Samuel L. Jackson, clearly bristling, said today that negotiations to put him in the role of Nick Fury have broken down because "there seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world."

Jackson told me today that despite his cameo as the hard-bitten military man at the end of "Iron Man," it now appears that "somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won't be in it" when it comes to "Iron Man 2," "The First Avenger: Captain America" and "The Avengers," the announced slate of Marvel Studios projects through 2011 that might have a natural spot for the character.

Jackson, who is a sheep favorite after roles in three "Star Wars" films, "The Incredibles" and "Unbreakable," was actually used as the model for the Ultimate Marvel version of Fury, which took the white, grizzled, aging commando with salt-and-pepper hair and re-imagined him as a younger, bald African American. There were cheers in theaters at the end of "Iron Man," when Jackson appeared as Fury, but when I asked the actor about it today he shook his head.

"I saw ['Iron Man' and 'Iron Man 2' director] Jon Favreau at the Scream Awards and we had a conversation. He said, 'I hope things are working out for you because we're writing stuff for you.' Then all of a sudden last week I talked to my agents and manager and things aren't really working that well."

Jackson might just have been taking a public position that could lead to a bigger payday (it certainly wouldn't be the first time a Hollywood star used an interview as a negotiating tactic) but he seemed especially sour on the whole the topic of working with Marvel ...

"There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don't know. Maybe I won't be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won't be in it. There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so [they're saying to me], 'We're not making that deal.'"

I called Marvel Comics and they gave me a statement that suggested that they still want to see Jackson wearing the eyepatch. "Marvel does not comment on active negotiations," was the boilerplate repsonse, but there was that emphasis on the word "active" in the voice of the spokesman who phoned me back.

[hr]

mo money, mo money, mo money

You know at this point I hope Robert Downey bows out because of money and they end up getting somebody else for Tony Stark to further drive home the point that yes this is a sequel and yes the actors wanted more money so practically all the actors are new which will bastardize the franchise making the first movie the only good one because money wasn't entirely the point and everyone didn't get all greedy until the sequels and this is the longest sentence written at this moment in time.

Wow. They're really doing their best to fuck up this franchise eh?

I hate casting changes - it does nothing but fuck the entire continuity and ruin the authenticity of a project.

Yeah, I still think Katie Holmes wouldn't have hurt TDK.

What happened to the "big budget independent" film idea they went with on the first one? Or was that just bs?

Well if we are talking about the Nick Fury casting I'm not all that disappointed. He was only in the movie after the credits anyway. And the character might not even make the final cut in the sequel.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39891

Marvel only offered Mickey Rourke $250,000 to be in the movie.



Iron Man made $580 million worldwide not counting DVD sales. 250K is insulting

They oughtta' give George Clooney some steroids and an eye patch and have him play Nick Fury. Then, they could give Lucas a couple of bucks to mention Mace Windu or something and move on.

I would think that unless Hollywood has moved to another planet, eventually the econocrisis is going to make a stop there too. Pretty soon, 250K is going to sound like a lotta' jing. Hell, I'll play Nick Fucking Fury for 100 thousand right now. For the rest of the 250, I'll gouge my own eye out and eat the motherfucker on set.

Now Mickey Rourke is saying he's not in IronMan 2



told ya $250 K was insulting. I bet he's waiting to see if he gets an oscar, then he'll raise his asking price to whatever feeds his chihuahuas the best.

I like how he phrased it as "we're not doing Iron Man 2", as if his agent was like 'dude you're not doing it for a measly 250k!' and Rourke is like 'fuck ok, are you sure? Dammit, we're not doing it then.' Maybe they should get his agent to play the role of Crimson Dynamo instead, I'm sure he'd do it for $250k!

Wasn't there any back end to this deal? Profits from the toys? Anything besides a straight paycheck?

as my 1,000th post, I will celebrate with a and


Sam Jackson just made a 9 picture deal with Marvel! Variety.com

Mickey Rourke & Scarlett Johannsen both finally cast! Latino Review

Robert Downey says Iron Man 2 won't feature "Demon in a Bottle" storyline. MTV news


[spoil]



[hr]



so she'll be in the Avengers as well as Sam Jackson.


[hr]

[/spoil]

spoilerTV on-set shots of Downey and Cheadle:

USA Today has a story and the first official pic from Iron Man 2.

First look: 'Iron Man 2' explores the unmasked life

Robert Downey in armor on Iron Man 2 set.
From People.com



Jon Favreau's Latest Tweets on Iron Man 2

May 1: "Wrecking the joint. Not much left of the set. Broken stuff everywhere. Should look cool on screen."

May 4: "More suited destruction today. Rigging a big gag with lots of cameras."

May 4: "ILM on set today. Doing a mix of practical suits and Imocap, their version of on set motion capture developed originally for Pirates 2."

May 6: "Scarlett's first day on set in the Black Widow outfit. You've never heard a crew get so quiet so fast."

May 6: "Now shooting first scene with Tony Stark and Nick Fury."

May 6: "Another day at the office. http://yfrog.com/0mqzsj

Tony wants to sex you up!! Is favreau on the other side of the camera yelling, "give me SEXY!!!"

photoshelter.com



Ultimate Nick Fury Sam Jackson

Don't matter when he reaches 100 years old, Sam will still be DA MAN!

Whiplash concept art from LatinoReview

Whiplash's "suit", according to USAToday

this is thought to be his prototype suit.



but in the end, this is Mickey Rourke with a bunch of shit glued to him. same hair and everything!

Looks just as stupid as the mech Jeff Bridges from the first movie.

is it just me or is Mickey Rourke one of the ugliest fuckers on this planet?

That looks pretty damn cool. Fuck y'all.

Looks like Laser-Tag on steroids. But I'm cool with that. Maybe it's a prototype or damaged or something.

BTW John Debney has officially signed on as composer for Iron Man II. He wanted to do Iron Man but he wasn't chosen for some weird reason. I'm sure he'll be able to put out a much more enjoyable score than Ramin did for Iron Man.

Shit, Scarlett alone has sold me on this movie.

I didn't even know she was in it till seeing those pics.

I'd hit it. Dayum.

Good to hear (ha!) they got somebody else to do the score. The first one sounds a little (lot) video-gamey after repeated viewings.

[spoil]
[flash width=486 height=412]http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?&width=486&height=412&flashID=myExperience30772581001&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&playerID=1858324737&publisherID=494806221&isVid=true&%40videoPlayer=30772581001&autoStart=[/flash][flash width=486 height=412]http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?&width=486&height=412&flashID=myExperience30769967001&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&playerID=1858324737&publisherID=494806221&isVid=true&%40videoPlayer=30769967001&autoStart=[/flash]
[/spoil]

Iron Man II @ Empire Magazine ComicCon 2009 : Panel 1, Panel 2