Why did Marvel Studios recast Col. Jim Rhodes in Iron Man 2? The surprise announcement that Don Cheadle was taking over the role from Terrence Howard in the sequel (and now The Avengers) left many fans wondering what happened. Entertainment Weekly has an article possibly explaining how this came to be:
Hollywood insiders believe the exit stems from Terrence Howard’s difficult behavior on the set of Iron Man. But those with intimate knowledge of the situation suggest a far more dramatic backstory: Howard was the first actor signed to the film and, on top of that, was the highest-paid. That’s right: more than Gwyneth Paltrow. More than Jeff Bridges. More than Robert Downey Jr. And once the project fully came together, it was too late to renegotiate his deal. It didn’t help that, according to one source, Favreau and his producers were ultimately unhappy with Howard’s performance, and spent a lot of time cutting and reshooting his scenes. (Favreau could not be reached for comment, while Howard’s publicist says: ”Terrence had a tremendous experience working on Iron Man.”)
You can read the full article here.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
