Marvel’s ‘Armor Wars’, originally planned as a TV series for Disney+, is being redeveloped as a feature film, Variety has learned.
“Armor Wars” will feature Don Cheadle, reprising his MCU role from James “Rhodey” Rhodes, aka War Machine. The project is based on Marvel Comics’ seven-issue arc of the same name in the Iron Man story, and follows Rhodes as he must come to terms with what happens when Tony Stark’s technology falls between bad hands.
Yassir Lester, who was originally set as the series’ head writer, remains committed to writing the project.
This is the second major upheaval of the week at Marvel. “Blade” director Bassam Tariq pulled out of the project on Tuesday, just two months before production on the film began, signaling a potential delay to the premiere date originally set for November 2023. However, ” Armor Wars” won’t slide on that date – it’s unclear when the new film will hit theaters.
At the D23 Expo in Anaheim earlier this month, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said “Armor Wars” would follow the events of “Secret Invasion,” the MCU TV series slated to debut early. from 2023 on Disney+, in which Cheadle’s Rhodes will also appear. On the red carpet with Variety’s Marc Malkin, the actor opened up about how the two projects are connected.
“In the trailer you see that he has to face Nick [Fury.] He and Fury are going to be going all the way through this show, in terms of what they need to do, given what’s happened on this planet at this point,” Cheadle teased. “It’s kind of a thriller and a different type of spectacle than what you usually see in the MCU, which is great that we can keep changing it and changing it. It’s so funny.”
Cheadle also confirmed that he was done with his initial contractual obligations to Marvel Studios, but noted that he was open to other MCU projects. “Now it’s just that if something seems fun and it’s presented to me, it’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s go. — earned Cheadle a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Speculatively, based on the comics, villains who could potentially appear in “Armor Wars” include Stilt-Man, the Crimson Dynamo, and Justin Hammer, who was played by Sam Rockwell in “Iron Man 2.” The “Armor Wars” comics were written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton in 1987 and 1988 with art by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the switch from series to film.
