Terence Howard Surprised By Iron Man 2 Recasting

Last week it was reported that Don Cheadle had been signed to replace Terence Howard in Iron Man 2. Initial speculation was that Marvel had a falling out with the actor over salary requirements. When asked about the announcement on NPR, Howard explains his confusion over the entire situation.

“Yeah, I found that out, too,” said Howard. “It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. 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. Even friendships, people you support…”

I’ve never understood the concept of contracts in Hollywood. From what I understand, they’re basically meaningless. It should be noted that Howard never specifically denies the implications that he was looking for more money, probably because its true. He mentions that “good faith negotiations” with Marvel were not “held up”. The movie studio probably should have given the star an explanation before moving on to other choices (it should be noted that we don’t know Marvel’s side of the story).