Here’s some weird news for Marvel movie fans: Sam Jackson has no idea if he’s in any of their upcoming movies. In theory he’s supposed to be contracted to appear in all of Marvel’s upcoming slate of superhero films as Nick Fury, starting with Iron Man 2 this summer and carrying on through Thor, Captain America, and all the rest. In theory Marvel’s supposed to have this grand plan to tie all of its superhero characters together in one universe, with Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury as the tie that binds them. To that Sam Jackson says, whaaa?
The news of his non-involvement comes from MTV where they interviewed him and asked him about Thor, a film in which he’s listed as part of the cast. But Sam told them he didn’t even know he was in it and added, “Nobody's told me anything. I was reading the trades last week and I saw the cast list. My name was in it, so maybe I am doing something that I don't know about and I'll hear about it soon.”
That’s a little strange but maybe his people just haven’t called their people about that specific movie yet. Fury’s part is likely to be small, another cameo tacked on at the end, and the film’s early on in the filming process. There might be no reason to bother him about it yet, I guess. Except for, you know, you might want to make sure his schedule’s clear so he can show up on the set. But what about all the other movies Nick Fury is supposed to show up in? What about that grand, Marvel superhero plan? Nope. Says Sam, “I don't know what's going on. Since Disney's bought the franchise, I have no idea what Marvel told them or even if my deal with Marvel is still valid.”
It’s not that he doesn’t want to do it and doesn’t think they still can do it, he just has no idea if they really will or, if once they get around to it he’ll be free. Still he seems pretty positive about the whole thing. Jackson says, “If they're dealing with that particular timeline... Hey, they're shooting it in Santa Fe, it's not like they're shooting it in Norway.”
Hey Marvel, pick up a phone and call Nick Fury! You know, Nick Fury? Eye patch? A tendency to think of himself as a bad motherfucker? He’s the guy running your multi-million dollar Avengers operation. You might want him to show up.
