Howard Not Cheadle: The Petition

The blogs and entertainment websites have been a-buzz with the recent news that Don Cheadle will replace Terrance Howard as Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes in Iron Man 2. Initially, the reason given was a dispute over Howard's paycheck for the next Iron Man, but in a recent interview with Scott Simon of NPR, Howard said that there was no dispute. In fact, he says he learned about the switch just like the rest of us, through the media. In the interview, he seemed offended and remarked that Hollywood contracts aren't worth the paper they are printed on, insinuating that Marvel has broken a contract with Howard. So, why is Cheadle going to be Rhodes in Iron Man 2, and not Howard (who did a wonderful job)? We may never know, but there are some very devoted fans out there who want to do something about it.

The website howardnotcheadle.com is devoted to a petition to let Marvel studios know that fans want Howard to be in Iron Man 2, not Cheadle.

Now, personally, I have nothing against Don Cheadle. In fact, he's probably one of my favorite actors, and I think he could do just as good a job as Howard did in Iron Man, but that is not the point. There is no need to replace Howard and doing so only disrupts the continuity of the story and characters. But in the end, a petition like this will have virtually no effect on the studio. Remember, studios don't listen to movie-goers, they only listen to movie-goer's money.

So, you can go the website and sign the petition, or you can speak with your money by boycotting Iron Man 2 and all other Marvel Studio releases in theaters and on DVD. But, who are we kidding? We'll see it anyway. And that is precisely why studios don't listen.

What do you think of the Howard/Cheadle switch? Sound off in the comments section.

Geeks Geek-out Over New Terminator Movie

Why is there so much excitement over the new Terminator movie, Terminator: Salvation? Sure, the first one was arguably awesome. It had a great concept, great script, and great special effects that had never been seen before. It also gave a huge career boost to the now governor of California. T2? Yeah it was great . . . when I was twelve years old. And did anyone actually see T3?

Okay, even if you still think that T2 was one of the greatest movies ever made (say, next to Lawrence of Arabia), the new movie is still being brought to you by McG (which is like Kevin Smith making a sequel to Lawrence of Arabia—it would give you pause). And if his name doesn’t make you want to take him seriously, neither will his movies. This is the man who brought us both vapid Charlie’s Angels movies, the wonderfully bad We Are Marshall, and don’t forget The Offspring Complete Music Video Collection.

I would like to give this new addition to the franchise the benefit of the doubt. I want it to succeed. I would like to see this movie legend revived much the same way Batman Begins (not to mention TDK) and Iron Man have breathed new life into superhero movies. It’s just hard to take it seriously.

Hopefully, Terminator: Salvation can give the franchise a much needed shot in the arm. Since it’s been 16 years since T2 came out, the franchise needs one heck of an adrenaline shot to get its blood pumping again.

You Can't Outrun Yourself: Studios Finally Discover That Superheroes Are More Than Cartoons

Over at slashfilm.com I just read some rather non-news about the upcoming Flash movie in development. The non-news is this: The Flash is in development. A while ago I heard this from another movie site, which also posted a tag line for the upcoming movie: “you can’t outrun yourself.” How friggin’ sweet is that?

I’m glad that superhero movies are taking a turn for the better. Finally mass audiences (and the movie industry) are cluing into something that comic book lovers have known all along: comic books are not about the flashy costumes, big explosions, and cool gadgetry; they’re about the characters. As much as I loved the Tim Burton Batman movies. The subsequent movies quickly devolved into flashy action movies with no heart and no character progression. Carey’s Riddler and Jones’ Two Face were just second-rate reincarnations of the campy Batman TV series of the 60s (not to mention Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze). Thank goodness for Christopher Nolan, who took Batman and actually made him a real person, not a caricature.

Apparently, after the success of the new Iron Man movie and the fantastic Hulk reboot, Warner Bros. is taking another look at its DC properties, namely The Flash and The Green Lantern, as well as Green Arrow and others, which may mean potential fast-tracking and better stars/directors than the lame attempt they were trying to make earlier this year with a Justice League movie, sans Superman and Batman, with a league of B, C, and D list talent. All I can say is that if the advance buzz for the The Dark Knight lives up to the hype, Warner Bros. better treat their other DC properties like the royalty.