Attn: Iron Man Fans

Lovable Terrence Howard, who played Rhodes in the summer hit Iron Man, will not be reprising his role in the sequel, slated for a May 2010 release.

My favorite web site, FilmSchoolRejects, reported that an article from the Hollywood Reporter was indeed true when it cited that Howard would be replaced and that "Downey Jr won’t be donning more blackface to play both Stark and Rhodey."

I'm a little saddened to hear the news because I believed Rhodes was more than just a "supporting character," which made me care a bit more about the change, and I also believed Howard kicked-ass at it. The Holmes/Gyllenhaal switch in Batman didn't bother me (I couldn't even remember it was Holmes who played Dawes in the first film) because those "supporting characters" were forgettable. Marvel could switch out Dunst in the next Spider-Man movie for all I care and though I'd notice, I would not be upset - simply because we've all OD'd on Mary-Jane (no pun intended) and it's time for a change.

Don Cheadle looks too serious to me. I never saw Traitor, but judging by the previews, he looked like he'd fit the "black Jack Bauer" bill. That's just me.

Some good news, though. Also according to FSR, Downey Jr. is signed on for the 2011 Avengers movie, apparently an effort to bring a lot of Marvel superheroes together to do something extraordinary.

OK, so that's two guys, right? Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury). Still waiting on Edward Norton (Hulk) and whoever's going to play Thor, Captain America and... Ant-Man?

- Trace