Right on the tail of me writing about Jackson returning to Ironman, we find out a little more about why Terrance Howard was replaced for Ironman2.
He doesn’t know.
Apparently much of the explanation buzz online that Howard was barking for a bigger payday were news to him as well.
Chud quotes Howard who was asked if he knew about this:
It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. [The contract] just…up and vanished. 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.
It is noted in the article that much of Howard’s responses began with a sigh, which implies to me that he is in the dark as well about the situation.
So he gets replaced (by a better actor – not complaining) without so much as a conversation with the studio. Sounds like this changing of the guard, though positively met by fans is just a bitter and harsh reality to the unexpecting Terrance Howard.
I liked Howard in the role, and I didn’t mind his presentation of the man who would be War Machine. I would have been ok with him taking the role. But if they are going to nail it, they need a better hammer. But if you are going to replace the guy, have the balls to do it to his face.
I still have high hopes for the film, but I am very sympathetic to Howard’s situation if he is in the dark as he suggests.
