UPDATED: Terrence Howard was a bit surprised he's not in Iron Man 2

I recently mentioned how Don Cheadle had been cast in the next Iron Man movie and that Terrence Howard was out. I thought it was something to do with money or Howard focusing on his music career. I also assumed that Howard would have been told before it hit the web. However it looks as if Howard found out the same way we all did.

"Yeah, I found that out, too," he said in an interview with NPR recently. "It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. But it was gone… just up and vanished." The night after the news was announced, I was talking with another friend of mine, who firmly believed that Marvel had announced this just as a way to get Howard's attention - and that he might be back eventually. Now I'm not really sure what's going on?

Howard added that, "I read something in the trades implicating that it was about money or something. But apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren't worth the paper that they're printed on, sometimes. Promises aren't kept, and good faith negotiations aren't always held up. Even friendships, people you support…"

That all sounds pretty harsh to me. Add this to the hassle Jon Favreau had with Marvel Studios regarding the release date of Iron Man 2 and it sort of looks as if Marvel Studios are pretty cut throat when it comes to the people making their movie. What do you think?

UPDATE: MTV have some more news on this - the whole thing may not be true.

As easy and as tempting as it is to side with Howard, especially given his tireless enthusiasm for the project, which he has been talking up since spring 2007, there are two sides to every story. What’s Marvel’s take?

“No comment,” Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige told MTV News on the Cheadle/Howard switch in an interview on Friday (before Howard’s comment was broadcast).

Why no comment? Interestingly, Feige seemed to imply that nothing as yet was set in stone – with Howard or Cheadle.

“As is the policy with most people, when you talk about dotting I’s and crossing T’s, certainly that isn’t the case yet on a number of things we’re doing,” he said, later making the same statement regarding Kenneth Branagh and “Thor” (take that for what you will). “But that [‘Hollywood Reporter’ story] was not an announcement. That was, as it tends to happen in the business, is rumors and leaks and things like that. I do think there will be clarity soon.”

Mr. Feige, we’ll be ready to listen when you’re ready to talk.

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