Life may go on for Don Cheadle as War Machine, but not in his own movie. In the comics Cheadle’s character, James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, suits up and steps in when Tony Stark falls victim to alcoholism. Despite speculation that War Machine could get a spin-off, Cheadle confirmed that this is not the case.
Back in January, Bob Layton, the co-creator of the Rhodey character, told MTV, “If they’re doing the Avengers film, they always have the option of using War Machine instead of Iron Man depending upon what happens contractually. I’m just speculating, I have no idea.” But more recently, Cheadle told Wizard Magazine (via Digital Spy), "People have asked, but no one [in authority] has mentioned it as something that's happening. Hopefully, if this one does well, there'll be another [Iron Man movie] with the same people. But there won't be a [War Machine] spin-off."
Does this really mean a War Machine movie is out of the question? I doubt it. Odds are, if Iron Man 2 is a massive success no expansion avenue will go ignored. Whether War Machine happens or not, the idea will be revisited sometime after Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7th.
In the interview Cheadle also touched on the sensitive issue of replacing the original Rhodey, Terrence Howard. “My first and only hesitation was about Terrence, because he is a friend. I wasn't going to do it until after he said he wasn't taking it. But, y'know, it's a short list. If you're on it, and you say no, they're on to the next guy." Gee, what a nice guy.
