Update: Robert Downey Jr's Comments on ReCast

I saw an article today at ReelComix.com that contained what Robert Downey, Jr thinks about the casting fiasco on Iron Man 2. As I have blogged earlier, Terrence Howard has been replaced by Don Cheadle to play James Rhodes/War Machine in Iron Man 2 and Avengers. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark/Iron Man. Here is what Robert Downey Jr said about the casting problem:

“It’s one of those situations where I still don’t quite know what
happened or why. Here’s what happens too: things happen and you wind up
commenting on them before you’ve actually talked to the people and it’s
in poor taste.”

I was glad to see him take the high road...not burning any bridges. Smart! You never know you will have to work with...or for....again. However, it does not answer any questions. I mean was Terrence Howard screwed or not? The story still isn't clear, but to summarize how I understand it from the article I have read:

The Studio is saying that Howard was paid more than anyone else on the first Iron Man because he signed on first (No idea how). They say that he was horrible to work with. They say that they weren't happy with his performance and had to cut and re-shoot a lot. They paired down his role in Iron Man 2 and offered him 50-80% less than what he earned in the first film and Howard said no. So they offered the role to Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2 and Avengers.

The problem is that no interview I have read can confirm that Howard did badly or that the Rhodes role was ever paired down. He got glowing reviews from nearly everyone connected to making Iron Man. Still sounds fishy. Howard himself said that he read about his firing in the trades like everyone else. I've not heard Jon Favreau weigh in on this at all. I know he is prepping the next movie so he is busy but I wanna know what happened because I was looking forward to seeing War Machine on the screen and I think Terrence can pull it off. The reason why the first movie worked was because Robert Downey Jr made Tony Stark believable as a genius who plays be his own rules and a man crazy enough to strap himself into a suit like that, fly around, and force people to not misuse his creations. In order for War Machine to work, you have to believe that James Rhodes is the kind of man who is so loyal and dedicated to protecting others that he is willing to risk putting that thing on. I believe Terrence Howard would....I'm not sure if Don Cheadle can sell it.