Terrance Howard talks losing Iron Man 2

Last week, Terrence Howard found himself unceremoniously dumped from the sequel to Iron Man and his role as Tony Stark’s mate, air force officer Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes.

While Marvel has yet to comment on the issue, the story went that it was due to Howard’s unfeasible financial demands. Surprised? He was, apparently.

"It was the surprise of a lifetime," the actor told NPR . "There was no explanation. The contract just... up and vanished.”

“Promises aren’t kept”


“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."

The truth might not be known for a while – studios and actors’ agents usually prefer to keep a lid on negotiations, but while we want to believe Howard, he does also have a rep as an occasionally difficult thesp.

And it’s not like Don Cheadle’s a bad choice, just a different one. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the part.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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