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.'')
As such, when Favreau and screenwriter
Justin Theroux went to map out the sequel they found themselves minimizing Howard's story line. Once Marvel learned that Favreau was thinking of curtailing the role, the studio went to the actor's agents with a new and drastically reduced offer — a number that's similar to what supporting cast members were paid for the first movie. The agents, according to sources, were so taken aback by this new figure — estimated at somewhere between a 50 and 80 percent pay cut — that they questioned it. Why did they blanch? Multiple sources say that Marvel execs never told Howard's reps that they had issues with the star's on-set conduct. (Marvel would not comment for this story.)
It's unclear whether Howard's team walked away first, or if Marvel ended the discussion at that point. Either way, the studio moved quickly to secure Cheadle and the story leaked out the next morning, Oct. 14. And alas for Howard, there will be no next time.
Robert Downey Jr.... Tony Stark / Iron Man
Scarlett Johansson... Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Paul Bettany... Jarvis (voice)
Samuel L. Jackson... Nick Fury
Mickey Rourke... Ivan Vanko / Whiplash
Gwyneth Paltrow... Pepper Potts
