December 16, 2008 - There was at least one good thing to come out of the high profile dismissal of actor
Terrence Howard from the sequel to last year's blockbuster hit
Iron Man -- the news that
Don Cheadle would be taking over the part of Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes. The Oscar winning actor's resume boast an impressive variety of roles, from serious dramas like
Crash,
Hotel Rwanda and
Traffic to more lighthearted fare like
Ocean's Eleven and its two sequels. And while we were disappointed to hear that Howard would not return for
Iron Man 2, we think Cheadle could do a lot with the role of Tony Stark's confidant and the man destined to wear the War Machine armor.
Cheadle recently spoke with IGN about taking over the role, how he felt about replacing his friend and what we might expect from the character in the next film.
IGN: How did you get involved with
Iron Man 2?
Cheadle: I got a phone call from my agent saying they were offering me the part. That was kind of it. It happened very fast, and I had a very short time to answer. Literally, overnight. I was unaware of what was happening with Terrence. And when they called me I asked what was going on with Terrence. I've worked with Terrence, I've known Terrence for a long time. And they said they were moving away from him. So it's not like I was taking Terrence's job, because the job was already gone. Someone else was going to do the part. I don't know who the next person in line was, but that's who they were going to. And I literally had a few hours to accept the job or not.
IGN: How much can you reveal about the story?
Cheadle: I can't reveal anything because I've seen nothing. I have no idea. There's no script yet. All I know is as much as you know, that Rhodey looked at that suit and said, 'Next time.' So I imagine I'm going to be in a suit.
IGN: Did they explain whether they're expanding the role in the next film?
Cheadle: Not in any sort of detail. I mean, I think the part will be bigger, obviously. I mean, in the comic book, if you just read the comic books, you know that character becomes pretty instrumental in Iron Man's life, so it's not a sidebar character. It's kind of integral to the story.
IGN: Are you excited?
Cheadle: My kids are excited. I mean, it's great. It's a great opportunity. I'm glad to be a part of something like that. I tend to try and keep my excitement and all of that stuff at a level which has helped me survive 25 years in the business. I've been in movies and haven't made the cut and I've been on the set of movies and somebody's come up and gone, "Ah, we're not making the movie anymore." So I wait until it's done and it's shot and then it comes out and people see it and I can go, "Yeah, I'm in that movie."
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