Despite being touted as an ambitious expansion of the franchise, Don Cheadle is in the dark on the Armor Wars movie. Development on the project first began in late 2020, when it was announced that it would be a Disney+ show with Cheadle leading as James Rhodes and picking up the story from Iron Man 2 and 3 and following the Marvel Cinematic Universe hero as he works to prevent Stark Industries' technology, namely the Iron Man suits, from falling into the wrong hands. After years of uncertainty, it was revealed that Armor Wars was being re-developed into a film.
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During a recent interview with TVLine to discuss the finale of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, Cheadle was asked for an update on Armor Wars' development. The MCU star humorously asked the publication to look into the film for him, going on to share that he's "not sure where anything is right now" and is only aware of the fact that the project is still undergoing changes after its transition from a Disney+ show to a movie. See what Cheadle shared below:
You can find out and let me know. Yeah. I think the word that’s the most salient in that sentence is “switched.” [Laughs] I don’t know, I’m not sure where anything is right now. I think things are going through a lot of changes, and we’ll see what happens, we’ll see what it is.
Marvel's Creative Shiftings Might Have Put The Movie On The Backburner
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Cheadle's uncertainty about Armor Wars' status does come at a time in which many MCU shows have either undergone a creative overhaul during their development, or remain in an unclear state of production. One of the biggest reasons for this was the increasingly lackluster responses to the studio's output both on the big and small screens, namely Secret Invasion, which became one of the lowest-reviewed MCU titles of all-time alongside fellow Phase Five release Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Phase Four's Eternals.
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Just going off of Cheadle's comment, it does seem like Armor Wars may have been pushed to Marvel's backburner for the time being. The studio seems to be generally honing their focus on the projects they already have wrapped production on, namely the frequently delayed Wonder Man and Ironheart shows, which look to be on track for 2025 releases. Even still, with Avengers: Secret Wars reportedly set to be a soft reboot of the MCU, the studio will need to find a slot in Phase Six for Cheadle's movie if they don't plan to bring him back after the 2027 crossover.
Our Take On Cheadle's Armor Wars Update
Marvel Doesn't Quite Know What They Want From The Project
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Given it's been nearly four years since the project was announced, and we've yet to hear any positive updates beyond its transition to a film medium, Armor Wars is starting to feel more and more like an afterthought on Marvel's part. Cheadle has certainly tried to keep the anticipation alive for the title, and his promises of a faithful adaptation of the comics has certainly been enticing, especially as it leaves the door open for Sam Rockwell to reprise his Iron Man 2 role of Justin Hammer, one of the MCU's more underrated villains.
...this could create a problem for how Armor Wars addresses the reveal that Rhodey was a Skrull in Secret Invasion...
Considering the film is intended to explore Rhodey's grief over Tony's death in Avengers: Endgame, though, I do still think it's possible for Armor Wars to come out post-Secret Wars. Given Robert Downey Jr. is coming back as Doctor Doom for The Multiverse Saga's final installments, it would actually make sense for Rhodey's grief to be stirred back up with the appearance of someone who looks just like his longtime friend, only for him to be a more villainous figure.
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Related
10 Times Iron Man's Tech Fell Into The Wrong Hands Before Armor Wars
Armor Wars will reportedly see Iron Man tech fall into the wrong hands, and this problem has already been explored a bit in other MCU projects.
That said, this could create a problem for how Armor Wars addresses the reveal that Rhodey was a Skrull in Secret Invasion, and seemingly had been for some time. While the MCU has ultimately dropped a number of plot threads over the years, this is one that could actually be explained as setting up the main conflict of the Cheadle-led movie, if it explained that the Skrull version of Rhodey was selling Stark technology to the wrong people.
Source: TVLine
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Armor Wars
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Initially conceived as a Disney+ series, Armor Wars is an MCU movie centered on Rhodey Rhodes' mission to honor Tony Stark's legacy and keep his Iron Man technology from wreaking havoc when they fall into the wrong hands. Starring Don Cheadle as War Machine, Marvel Studios' Armor Wars adapts the eponymous comic book storyline to the big screen in the Multiverse Saga.
- Studio(s)
- Marvel Studios
- Distributor(s)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Writers
- Bob Layton , David Michelinie , Yassir Lester
- Cast
- Don Cheadle
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
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