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Draft:Armor Wars (film)

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Armor Wars
Written byYassir Lester
Based on
"Armor Wars"
by
Produced by
Starring
Production
company
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Armor Wars is an upcoming American superhero film based on the 1987–88 Marvel Comics storyline of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is being written by Yassir Lester and stars Don Cheadle as James Rhodes / War Machine, alongside Walton Goggins and Dominique Thorne.

Marvel was developing a War Machine film by January 2011, with Joe Robert Cole hired to write a script, though this did not come to fruition. Armor Wars, along with Cheadle's involvement, was originally announced in December 2020 as an MCU television series for Disney+, with Lester joining the series as head writer in August 2021. In September 2022, Marvel Studios decided to rework the series into a feature film, with Cheadle and Lester still attached. Filming is expected to begin in 2025.

Premise

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James Rhodes must confront one of Tony Stark's greatest fears when Stark's tech falls into the wrong hands.[1]

Cast

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Production

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Background

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Don Cheadle said in February 2010 that he had not been told by Marvel Studios about a potential spin-off film for his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character James Rhodes / War Machine, and believed it would not be made.[7] That November, Marvel had reportedly sent a pitch for a War Machine film to writers.[8] Cheadle said Marvel was developing the film by January 2011, and he believed a writer had been hired;[9] Joe Robert Cole had a meeting with Marvel and pitched his concept for the War Machine film and was hired to write the script, before Marvel decided to no longer pursue the project due to their plans for Iron Man 3 (2013). Cole then joined the Marvel writers program instead.[10] Cheadle said in April 2019 that he was unsure what the film's story would have been, but it would have explored the tension between Rhodes's military job and "the changing world".[11]

In December 2020, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced a new MCU television series for Disney+ titled Armor Wars, with Cheadle reprising his role as Rhodes; the series' title and premise were based on the 1987–88 comic book storyline "Armor Wars".[1][12] The writing process for the series was set to begin in March 2021,[13] ahead of an indicated filming start in early-to-mid 2021.[14] Cheadle said the death of Tony Stark / Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame (2019) would factor into the series, which would explore more innovations in Rhodes's War Machine suit to elevate the character. Cheadle hoped the series would be able to bridge the storylines from the comics with the MCU and "make those worlds work" together.[13] In June, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said Armor Wars would appeal to Iron Man fans who wanted similar content.[15][16] Cheadle said a month later that he would be joining the writers room within a couple of weeks to help break the series' story,[17] and that they were just "cracking" the story and discussing what the series would be. Filming was then set to begin in 2022.[18]

Yassir Lester joined as head writer in August 2021. His pitch excited executives and Cheadle, and he had a "leg up" over other potential head writers due to his prior work with Cheadle on the series Black Monday (2019–2021).[19] In October, Cheadle said they were still in the early stages of the series. He expressed excitement at exploring Rhodes separately from Stark and the Avengers following Endgame, and having more time to focus on the character.[4] Cheadle added that while the series would be inspired by the comic book storyline, it would take that "mythology and tip it on its head a little bit and come up with different ways to tell the story".[5] Pre-production work started by mid-September 2022,[20] for a filming start in early October at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.[20][21] At that time, Walton Goggins was revealed to be cast in the series, reprising his role as Sonny Burch from the MCU film Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).[5] Dominique Thorne was also expected to reprise her MCU role as Riri Williams / Ironheart in the series.[6] The series was revealed to be set after the events of the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (2023),[22] in which Rhodes is revealed to have been replaced by a shapeshifting alien Skrull at an unknown point in the history of the MCU; Cheadle said his role in Secret Invasion was intended to set-up the events of Armor Wars.[23] Filming was then set to begin in early 2023, and the series was planned to consist of six episodes,[22] with Rayna McClendon, Lekethia Dalcoe, Garrick Bernard, and Emma Fletcher as writers.[24] Marvel Studios' Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Brad Winderbaum were serving as executive producers,[25]: 21–22  with Lester also producing,[26] along with Marvel Studios' production and development executive Jenna Berger.[21]

Development

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At the end of September 2022, Marvel Studios decided to rework the series into a feature film after realizing the story they were trying to tell was better suited as a film than a long-form series. Cheadle remained on board to star and Lester was remaining as the film's writer. The project was no longer expected to begin filming in early 2023 because of the change.[27] Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore, who was producing the film alongside Feige, explained that the ideas "felt too big" for a series and its limited budget compared to that of a film, which could better portray the "beautiful imagery" of the comic and leverage ideas to affect future films.[28] By January 2024, filming was expected to begin in 2025.[29] Cheadle expressed uncertainty about the film's development progress in October 2024 and said it was "going through a lot of changes".[23] Later that month, Lester said the change from a series to a film had not been too disruptive due to filming not yet beginning when the changes was made. He thought the planned series would have been "fun" and described it as a "meditation on who the character is", while the film would be "a quicker version that kind of propels [Rhodes] back into the story". He attributed the change to Marvel wanting to find the most interesting version of the story, and to the impacts of Secret Invasion which Kofi Outlaw at ComicBook.com believed was a reference to that series' poor reception. Lester and his brother Isaiah both expressed interest in directing the film, though Yassir said it would depend on the how much he was paid.[30]

Filming

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Principal photography is expected to begin in 2025.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Gelman, Vlada (December 10, 2020). "Secret Invasion, Marvel Series Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Coming to Disney+". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "D23 Expo 2022: Marvel Studios' 'Armor Wars' Confirms Return of Don Cheadle". Marvel.com. September 10, 2022. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Lawrence, Derek (July 14, 2021). "Don Cheadle's legacy: The Space Jam star looks back on his most iconic roles". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Perine, Aaron (October 8, 2021). "Marvel Star Don Cheadle Had The Perfect Response To Armor Wars Questions". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Lovett, Jamie (September 11, 2022). "Amor Wars: Don Cheadle Reveals the Plot of Marvel's Disney+ Series (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Oddo, Marco Vitto (September 29, 2022). "Marvel's 'Armor Wars' Will Now Be a Feature Film and Not a Disney+ Series". Collider. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Marnell, Blair (February 3, 2010). "No 'War Machine' Solo Movie, Says 'Iron Man 2' Actor Don Cheadle". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  8. ^ Toro, Gabe (November 6, 2010). "Marvel Considering An 'Iron Man,' 'War Machine' Spinoff For Don Cheadle?". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  9. ^ Marshall, Rick (January 21, 2011). "Don Cheadle Says 'War Machine' Movie Has A Writer, Won't Show Up In 'Avengers'". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  10. ^ Charisma, James (February 8, 2018). "'Black Panther' Screenwriter Reveals What Makes T'Challa One of the Most 'Unique' Characters in the MCU". Complex. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  11. ^ Breznican, Anthony (April 11, 2019). "Don Cheadle barely knows what happens in Avengers: Endgame — and he's in it". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Paige, Rachel (December 10, 2020). "'Armor Wars': Don Cheadle Returns as War Machine to Save Tony Stark's Tech". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Ital, Eric (February 3, 2021). "Exclusive: Don Cheadle's War Machine To Appear In 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'". BroBible.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Murphy, Desiree (February 3, 2021). "Don Cheadle Reacts to Starring in a Super Bowl Commercial With His Lookalike Brother (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  15. ^ Vlessing, Etan; Weprin, Alex (June 14, 2021). "Don't Expect an Ad-Supported Disney+ Option, CEO Says". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Nash, Anthony (June 15, 2021). "Disney CEO: Armor Wars Will Scratch Fans' Itch 'For More Iron Man'". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  17. ^ Weintraub, Steve (July 14, 2021). "Don Cheadle on 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' and the Status of Marvel's Upcoming 'Armor Wars' Series". Collider. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  18. ^ Laman, Douglas (July 16, 2021). "Armor Wars' Don Cheadle Provides an Update on the Disney+ Series". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 20, 2021). "Marvel's 'Armor Wars' Starring Don Cheadle Taps Yassir Lester As Head Writer Of Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Ho, Rodney (September 15, 2022). "What's filming in Georgia in September 2022?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Barnhardt, Adam (June 28, 2022). "Armor Wars Expected to Begin Filming Sooner Than Expected". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Wasserman, Ben (September 10, 2022). "Marvel's Secret Invasion Will Lead Into Armor Wars". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Mitovich, Matt Webb (October 12, 2024). "Secret Invasion's Polarizing Rhodey Reveal Could Be Worth It, Says Don Cheadle — If Armor Wars Happens". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 13, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  24. ^ Murphy, Meghan (September 23, 2022). "Marvel Hires 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Writer for MCU's 'Armor Wars' Disney+ Show". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  25. ^ "Moon Knight Production Brief" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. March 16, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  26. ^ "Production Weekly – Issue 1270 – Thursday, October 28, 2021 / 143 Listings – 31 Pages". Production Weekly. No. 1270. October 27, 2021. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  27. ^ Kit, Borys (September 29, 2022). "Marvel Shakes Up 'Armor Wars': Don Cheadle Series Now Being Developed As a Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  28. ^ McPherson, Christopher (November 17, 2022). "'Armor Wars' Producer Nate Moore on Why the Series Became a Movie". Collider. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Production Weekly – Issue 1383 – Thursday, January 4, 2024 / 140 Listings – 32 Pages". Production Weekly. No. 1383. January 3, 2024. p. 29. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  30. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (October 24, 2024). "Armor Wars Writer Weighs in on Marvel's Decision to Turn Don Cheadle Series Into a Movie". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
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