Iron Man 2 Justin Theroux talks IM2

[Chewy]

UGO: You got involved with the script for Iron Man 2 because of your work with Robert Downey Jr…

JT: Robert introduced me to those guys over at Marvel.

UGO: How psyched were you?

JT: I was sooo damn psyched! Are you kidding me? It’s like a dream job. Happy to take that meeting.

UGO: So where are you with the script at this point?

JT: We’ve kind of got a first draft around. You know what I mean? I just got back from London where I was working with Robert and Kevin Feige. He was out there. We were talking with Robert, who’s out there doing Sherlock Holmes, he was giving his input and his notes. We’re sort of there. It’s just sort of chugging along. The crews, I think, are now starting to see what they need to make, and the places that we might be going and all the rest within the story. That’s sort of one of the more exciting times.

UGO: So you weren’t involved in the whole Don Cheadle/ Terrence Howard were and you want to tell me something…

JT: No, I wasn’t. I genuinely wasn’t. (laughs)

UGO: There have been reports that the role of War Machine was scaled back and then beefed up.

JT: No, that’s all nonsense. Whatever their reason is, I’ll leave that up to Marvel. We’re writing the thing, virtually the same for Rhodey that we would for any actor. We’re really taking what’s going to be the most interesting story for the fans, and what are they going to enjoy watching. And who ever’s in that part is going to have to play that part and make it work for Jon (Favreau) and the fans who are watching the movie.

UGO: So the size of the role wasn’t ever changed?

JT: No. God, no.

UGO: So did you have to, or did you try to accommodate Don Cheadle’s acting style?

JT: I think that will probably be something that comes up...I haven’t met Don, and I think I’m going to in a little bit and I think once I get a better sense of his voice and also hear what he has to say about what he likes about the character and just pick his brain a little bit, then we’ll obviously start to tailor it to him. Once he sort of gets more involved in the process then we’ll start tapering the length of his character...making it fit just right.

UGO: Everyone’s speculating about the villain. Are we talking Mandarin? Or Evil DJ?

JT: (laughs) I think it’s Evil DJ. He could be the villain in this movie. I don’t know. I mean, I do know but I’m not going to let that cat out. I’ll let Jon start discussing when he thinks it’s the right time.

UGO: Considering that everyone’s coming together for the Avengers movie, were you ever told that certain things had to be in the story or that things had to go a certain way?

JT: No. I mean, I think we’re all sort of conscious of the fact that all these people...it is the Marvel universe, but that’s really about as far as we’ve been made...they haven’t given us any instruction as far as we want you to do this or we want you to do that. And really it’s not really a they/us kind of environment, the way they work. It’s just a bunch of guys and girls sitting in a room, trying to come up with stuff and doing what’s right for the movie and what, at the end of the day, is going to be the most interesting film that can be made. Kind of a fun film. I think once we’re sort of locked on that we’ll be able to think about how we can thread things through. There’s a couple little things that we’ve been working on, but it’s not that we’ve been taking meetings with Avengers people. It’s not like we’re six screenwriters sitting in a room from each movie and thinking about how we’re gonna work on each other’s things.

UGO: Have you written Stan Lee’s cameo yet?

JT: No, I don’t think so. (laughs) I don’t know, I don’t know. Jon will anoint him with that cameo, I’m sure.

UGO: Gwyneth Paltrow is still listed as “rumored”. Is she confirmed?

JT: I don’t know. I don’t know if she’s confirmed or not...I’m planning like she is there but I have no idea.

UGO: Finally, what voice do you think you bring to the script, to make it different from the last one?

JT: I’m not really trying to bring a different voice. I’m trying to mimic and sing in the same key as the script that was there before. If anything, I think I bring a knowledge of the way Robert’s mind works. I’ve worked with him once before. Hopefully I’ve proven I have some modicum of creative relationship with Jon and Marvel. So I really think my job is to work with them and not try and strike any new chords. Of course we want to make the story different and interesting. We want the action to be really good. But I think my job is really just to...serve the ultimate guy, which is Iron Man.

SOURCE

 

[DBZ2cool]

I don't know about you but he seems very unsure and well not too professional.

I don't know man. I get this feeling that critically this movie will end like the new bond movie. I hope not though.

Casino Royale - 90+% on rottentoamtoes
quantum of solace - 60+% on rottentomatoes

 

[Spade]

Personally, I think of this as a good sign. Theroux seems to have his priorities straight; these solo films should focus on the main attraction and not worry so much about The Avengers. That way, when The Avengers finally sees developments, it has 4 or so good solo films to build off of instead of some mediocre films that relied too much on the eventual team-up.

 

[hatebox]

The idea of a cocky superhero like Stark won't be a novelty any longer by the time IM2 arrives, so this time the film simply has to have a decent story and action scenes or else it'll flounder.

 

[Antonello Blueberry]

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/11/2...ward-departure-role-of-war-machine-in-sequel/

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Iron Man 2’ Screenwriter Justin Theroux Sounds Off On Terrence Howard Departure, Role Of War Machine In Sequel


Published by Shawn Adler on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 9:29 pm.

We may never know what ultimately led to the Don Cheadle/Terrence Howard switch on “Iron Man 2,” and if Robert Downey Jr. knows, well, he isn’t talking (at least to us).
But one reason it definitely did NOT happen is because the character of Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes was scaled back for the sequel, “Iron Man 2″ screenwriter Justin Theroux told MTV News.
“I can’t really speak to the plot stuff and all the rest of it but Rhodes is completely present in a very strong and big way,” Theroux said of the man who would be War Machine. “He’s COMPLETELY present.”
The belief that the character was drastically reduced first came to our attention in an “Entertainment Weekly” article, which posited that Theroux and director Jon Favreau were minimizing the role.
“All that stuff that was in the ‘EW’ article,” Theroux started before a brief pause. “I don’t know. I can only tell you what I know which is that from a writing standpoint we didn’t do anything differently [with the character]. It’s not like we were sitting there going, we need less of this or that. We just approached the characters and the story on their own terms.”

 

[FaT_tONle]

Okay someone clear this **** up for me once and for all... but here is what I take out of this all debacle...

1) First reported that Terrance Howard and Marvel disputed over financial terms... hence Howard is off the project... fans start killing Howard for overpricing himself, or they kill Marvel for not anteing up Howard's salary... and everyone moves on with their lives.

2) Reports have it than Howard, who was the movie's highest paid actor, was a drama queen on the set of Iron Man to a point where his relationship is desruptive with both the studio AND the director John Favreau. The studio and the director go in there and REDUCE HOWARDS ROLE in the script of Iron Man 2 and force Howard to take a pay cut. Howard refuses and the studio proceeds to bring in Cheadle.

3) Now we get Theroux explicitly stating that NO CHANGES WERE MADE in terms of size of Rhodes' role in the sequel and the script was always as it was regarding Rhodes presence in the sequel. Now... wasn't Theroux brought in before this whole debacle went down? Something is just not adding up... whatever it is... someone is bull ****ing us.

If you ask me... I think Marvel dropped the ball big time. I think they wanted Howard out from the getgo.... both for finanical reasons but more so because they didn't forsee a long term working relationship with him. Maybe Howard was a diva on the set of Iron Man, maybe Marvel just wanted to be cheap... I don't know if someone is soley to blame here... I just wish the truth would surface at some point. As good as Cheadle is... this is a mistake IMO.

 

[GNR]

So Theroux has only written,co written excuse me,one movie (Tropic Thunder)?

Damn,Marvel and RDJ must have really liked this guy's ideas.

 

[Spade]

It's not like Tropic Thunder was bad, though, so at least we know he's a good fit for the tone of an Iron Man sequel.

 

[GNR]

I loved TT,I'm just surprised Marvel would take a chance on a writer who pretty much has nothing under his belt in terms of writing.

 

[Chewy]

Jonah Nolan only had the Prestige under his belt before TDK, and look how that turned out. I don't think a writer's past work matters too much, so long as they have the talent for it and a vision for the film that's in line with the director's.

 

[hatebox]

Jonah Nolan only had the Prestige under his belt before TDK, and look how that turned out. .

He did also come up with the story for Memento in fairness.

 

[Ironfan72]

I would imagine, since Jon and Robert do alot of improv on the set and make changes to the script, Justin's experience makes little difference, Robert and Jon will mostly likely do alot of rewrites any way.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I dug TT almost as much as I did Iron Man so I don't feel worried at all. I think that TT worked really well as an action film.

 

[fu manchu]

I like the idea that he's trying to get everyone's input about writing this sequel, especially those who were responsible in making the first movie successful.

HA! I like to see Evil DJ make a cameo. t:

 

[Octoberist]

why isn't Jon working with the original writers from the first movie, I wonder.

 

[batman44]

http://movies.ign.com/articles/936/936337p1.html

Theroux talks alittle more about IM2.

 

[TheVileOne]

why isn't Jon working with the original writers from the first movie, I wonder.

It happens with sequels, writing teams change from movie to movie.

Iron Man did have a few writers on it as well.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Anyone seen Justin Theroux's acting work? I think he's a great actor, who believe it or not I once considered as a potential Joker candidate, before Heath Ledger got the role. He was probably at his best in Mulholland Drive. Shame he gave up to focus on screenwriting, but if Tropic Thunder is anything to go by, he does have a knack for it.

 

[TheVileOne]

Theroux was fantastic in his little side documentary on Tropic Thunder

I forget the name of the filmmaker, but it was basically a riff on Warner Herzog.

I hope Theroux has a Peter Billingsley type of role in Iron Man 2.

 

[hatebox]

Anyone seen Justin Theroux's acting work? I think he's a great actor, who believe it or not I once considered as a potential Joker candidate,

A couple of years ago I advocated Theroux for Dent, though that was perhaps more to do with the fact I just thought it'd be funny to see him and Bale onscreen in suits again...

 

[DXD]

I don't know about you but he seems very unsure and well not too professional.

A little bit too lax and tolerant for my personal liking...

 

[irapogi]

A little bit too lax and tolerant for my personal liking...

does this look lax to you??!!!

nah i'm just kidding, but he should have a cameo or sumtn, cos he's pretty cool.