For months now, P. Diddy’s legal issues have been played out, and that’ll all culminate in a trial that’s set to begin in May. The 55-year-old rapper, whose actual name is Sean Combs, is currently facing several federal charges and, since his arrest in September 2024, he’s been imprisoned in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. All the while, Diddy’s famous friends have remained mum as have others who’ve encountered him over the years. Now, Terrence Howard is sharing blunt thoughts on having briefly worked with him.

The 56-year-old Empire alum didn’t hold back when chiming in on the conversation regarding Diddy as well as his infamous parties. During his interview on the PBD Podcast, Terrence Howard was asked point-blank if he’d ever had any personal dealings with the “Been Around the World” rapper. Howard answered in the affirmative and claimed that the music industry veteran reached out to him for a specific job. However, based on Howard’s recollections, the situation was ultimately much different from what he expected:

Of course, this story should be taken with a grain of salt, although it theoretically would make sense as to why Puff Daddy would want to recruit Terrence Howard to assist him with his acting skills. Howard has amassed a lot of credits over the course of his career, and even landed an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor due to his turn in Hustle & Flow. As Howard went on to explain on the podcast (part of which was shared to X), the lessons didn’t last too much longer for one specific reason:

Among the federal charges Puff Daddy is currently facing are sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, racketeering and arson. His arrest came months after his two houses in the U.S. were raided by the feds, and his trial is set to begin on May 5. Additionally, the embattled music producer is at the center of a multitude of lawsuits involving alleged sexual assault, violence, sex-trafficking and more. “Puffy” has denied all wrongdoing when it comes to his federal case and the various suits.

A handful of public figures – those who’ve had personal contact with Diddy and those who haven’t – have spoken out about the Grammy winner as of late. Actor Corey Feldman didn’t hold back when talking about the charges the rapper was facing and called the situation “disgusting.” Feldman also expressed his hope that there’s a “continuation of this and all of these scumbags get taken down.” Ex-Bad Boy Records signee Mark Curry also chastised Diddy (as well as Jay-Z) for purportedly undermining talented artists in the industry.

One person who’s been in Sean Combs’ corner throughout this entire situation is Kanye West. Weeks ago, West spoke to Combs by phone and expressed admiration for him. Likewise, Combs hyped up the “Jesus Walks” rapper and thanked him for watching over his kids throughout his incarceration. West recently doubled down on his support of Combs in an interview, in which he chastised those who would seek to undermine the “Victory” performer’s legacy.

When it comes to Terrence Howard’s comments, P. Diddy’s camp has not confirmed nor denied what’s been said, as of this writing. All in all, Howard seems to be standing firm on his position, including his assertion that any male who attended one of Diddy’s parties is now without their “man card.” As the sex-trafficking trial approaches, we’ll have to wait and see if other stars opt to share their experiences with Diddy.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth franchise which is always growing thanks to both movies and the shows that are streaming with a Disney+ subscription. But those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that it had humble beginnings with the original Iron Man. The movie featured Terrence Howard as James Rhodes, a role that would eventually go to Don Cheadle.  Howard recently said he helped Robert Downey Jr. land his Tony Stark role, and finally spoke out about why he left Marvel. Let's break it all down. 

How Terrence Howard says he helped RDJ get the role of Iron Man. 

While Don Cheadle will continue playing War Machine in upcoming Marvel movies, he ended up taking on the role from Terrence Howard starting with Iron Man 2. The Empire actor recently appeared on The Joe Rogen Experience, where he revealed how he advocated for Robert Downey Jr. to be cast in Iron Man. In his words:

Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as Iron Man is the stuff of legends at this point, as it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Tony Stark. But the studio wasn't sure about signing him, as it was the start of his big comeback. And it turns out that Terrence Howard helped him land the role. 

Later in that same podcast appearance, Terrence Howard went on to explain how he advocated for RDJ to get a shot at Iron Man. That includes being willing to sacrifice some of his own pay. As he put it:

Robert Downey Jr. will likely always been associated with Iron Man for the rest of his life, as he offered a pitch perfect performance as the Marvel hero. I mean, fans are still hoping that he returns despite Tony Stark's death at the end of Avengers: Endgame. But the same can't be said for Terrence Howard, as Don Cheadle has become the long lasting version of Rhodes. 

Why Terrence Howard left the MCU

So why did Terrence Howard leave the MCU, and his role as War Machine, behind? While speaking with Joe Rogen, the Oscar-winning actor revealed how his agent at the time ultimately cost him the ongoing gig as James Rhodes. In his words:

And just like that, Terrence Howard was out of the MCU before Phase One even ended. Don Cheadle debuted in Iron Man 2, which is also the first time that Rhodey suited up as War Machine in the shared universe. 

So what happened with his relationship with Robert Downey Jr.? He shared that he reached out to the Sherlock Holmes actor when things were going down, offering:

In the end, Terrence Howard's career would still be strong, as he ended up starring in Empire, which was a wildly popular musical series. Although it sounds like his feelings were really hurt about now hearing from RDJ, especially as he had helped him land the role of Tony Stark in the first place. 

It should be interesting to see what comes next for the MCU, and if Howard ever gets another role in the shared universe. With the multiverse in play, it seems like anything is possible. But it's unclear if the 55 year-old actor is actually interested in that.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool & Wolverine on July 26th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next trip to the theater. 

Most scientific thought on the matter of memory states that we don’t really form our first memories until roughly around two or three years of age. But some, like actor Terrence Howard, claim to have knowledge of their life spanning further back in their lives. In fact the former MCU star shared in a recent interview that his own memories stretch as far back as moments he encountered within his mother’s womb. 

During The Joe Rogan Experience’s latest episode, Howard told a story in which he stated that his first memory was logged at about six months into his mother’s pregnancy. With that claim came some rather striking details, as seen in the first part of his conversation, shared below: 

Though Terrence Howard’s previous retirement claims haven’t kept him out of acting completely, it seems that his life journey is more focused on innovation and the pursuit of knowledge. Apparently Mr. Howard’s early experiences with memory enabled him to construct a mind palace so strong that he could help dictate the correct path his life was supposed to follow.

So perhaps there was a bit more than money at the center of Howard’s infamous MCU departure. Though I say that not to invalidate Terrence Howard’s other claims that Robert Downey Jr. “took” his potential raise for Iron Man 2. Rather, his decision could have been attributed to both his perceived grievance, and his supposed insight into his personal path.

While these supposed memories could be argued with any sort of combination of science and philosophy, Terrence’s true belief in these notions are quite unshakable. As the man behind Empire’s music mogul Lucious Lyon continued to go over his early days as a baby, he reinforced those memories that he wanted so hard to remember. 

Providing further details to his experience within his mother’s body, Terrence Howard revealed the following: 

Argue as one may, Terrence Howard’s perceived experiences from the womb have served him well, at least that’s what it sounds like when hearing him recount them. With plenty of mysteries pertaining to life that science hasn’t totally cracked just yet, perhaps there’s some room to investigate these claims with a scholarly approach. In the meantime, whether you’re a fan of Terrence Howard or Don Cheadle’s portrayal of Col. James Rhodes, almost the entire MCU is available for streaming through the power of a Disney+ subscription.

When it comes to the best movies of the 1990s, Clueless is definitely up there! It’s not only a hilarious high school comedy with all its quotable lines and fashion moments, it’s a pop culture minefield of the era! While the original cast of Clueless is absolutely perfect, over the years, it's been revealed that numerous big name actors were almost in the classic ’90s movie. From Reese Witherspoon to Gwyneth Paltrow, a lot of massive stars crossed paths with the Beverly Hill-set film before Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd and more were officially cast. 

Next time you watch Clueless, which is currently available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, you can imagine how these other major actors would have been like as the main cast. Check them out: 

Reese Witherspoon 

Years before Reese Witherspoon starred in iconic movies like Legally Blonde, Election and Cruel Intentions, the actress auditioned “so hard” for Clueless, clearly to play Cher Horowitz. While talking to BuzzFeed, she shared the role that got away. It’s not hard to see her as the leading character, but of course she’s gone on to have a fabulous career without wearing that yellow plaid matching set. At the time, casting director Carrie Frazier recalls Witherspoon was “amazing,” but Alicia Silverstone was ultimately the right Cher. 

Kerry Washington

At the same time Reese Witherspoon shared her audition for Clueless, her Little Fires Everywhere co-star Kerry Washington explained that she tried out for a role in the comedy as well! We can totally see Washington rocking the role of Cher’s best friend Dionne Davenport, but it was, of course, Stacey Dash’s part to win. While realizing their unique connection, Witherspoon and Washington joked they should “recreate” a Clueless scene together. 

Ben Affleck 

Another big name that could have been in the 1995 movie is Ben Affleck! At the time, Affleck was just stepping into the Hollywood scene with roles in School Ties and Dazed and Confused when he was considered for Paul Rudd’s part as Josh. Reportedly, Affleck passed on the role in order to do his first movie with Kevin Smith, Mallrats, as well as Glory Days. But as casting director Carrie Frazier said, per ET, she was “really trying to get” Affeck for the part and was “heartbroken” when it didn’t go to him at first.  

Terrence Howard

Before Donald Faison earned the role of Murray in Clueless, Terrence Howard was reportedly a “top contender” for Dionne’s boyfriend. At the time, Howard was also pretty new to Hollywood, but he’d done guest spots in All My Children, Living Single and Family Matters. While Howard didn’t get the role, he would go on to be part of Mr. Holland’s Opus, which became a part of the 1995 award season conversation. 

Zach Braff 

Speaking of Donald Faison, the actor’s future BFF and Scrubs co-star Zach Braff was also up for Clueless as Josh as well. All we know is that he auditioned for Paul Rudd’s part, but didn’t get it. Braff and Rudd certainly look somewhat alike, and we have to wonder if Faison and Braff passed each other at the casting office years prior to meeting on Scrubs. 

Angelina Jolie 

Carrie Frazier has also revealed in the past that Angelina Jolie was among the actors who auditioned for Cher Horowitz at the time. However, the casting director shared that she felt Jolie was “too knowing” for playing the high schooler and found her to be “exactly the opposite” of what they needed for the role. 1995 would become the year Jolie first starred in a movie, but it was for Hackers instead. 

Jeremy Renner

Another memorable member of the Clueless cast was Breckin Meyer’s Travis Birkenstock, who played the school’s resident stoner/skater kid. According to ABC, the eventual Avengers actor “came down to the finals” to play Travis at the time and was “very funny” in his audition. If he had gotten it, it would have been Renner’s first movie. Instead, 1995’s National Lampoon’s Senior Trip was his first film! 

Keri Russell

Director Amy Heckerling reportedly had her “heart set” on Alicia Silverstone quite early on for Cher Horowitz (per ET), but she was asked to “explore” all the options, so she went ahead and did so. Among the names she has shared that auditioned is Keri Russell, who would of course go on to star in another iconic coming-of-age leading role with Felicity. 

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Another future ‘90s TV icon who auditioned for Clueless just a couple of years before getting her big break leading a show was Sarah Michelle Gellar. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress auditioned as Cher’s nemesis at school Amber, which Elisa Donovan ended up playing. In this case, Gellar was actually offered the role before Donovan, but she had to pass it up due to a role she had at the time on All My Children.  

Seth Green 

Another actor that was reportedly up for Travis Birkenstock along with Jeremy Renner before Breckin Meyer, was the actor’s pal Seth Green. While he didn’t get the part, the actor would star in another iconic ‘90s teen movie in 1998’s Can’t Hardly Wait which starred the likes of Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle could have been in Clueless too in Donald Faison’s role of Murray. The director apparently met with the comedian while casting for the part after being a fan of Robin Hood: Men In Tights. However, what allowed Faison to win over him was his more “innocent” appeal. She felt Chappelle was a bit too edgy for the high school role. 

Gwyneth Paltrow 

Lastly, we also know that Gwyneth Paltrow was also in the running for Cher. It sounds like the studio really wanted her to be in the movie after she had been in 1993’s Flesh And Bone. However, the director shared she never actually got to see Paltrow audition. Paltrow would go on to star in Se7en that year!

So many huge actors were considered for Clueless. While it’s fun to imagine these other great talents as these iconic characters, the casting team of the comedy really made some incredible choices. We wouldn’t want it any other way! 

The “will they, won’t they” trope refers to when a TV show traces the blossoming romance of two central characters — such as Jim and Pam from the U.S. version of The Office cast or the two original lead Cheers characters, Sam and Diane. But, what about the characters who led a major storyline that involved the end of their relationship and, more specifically, the end of a marriage? We thought we would give some of the most iconic divorced TV characters their due by highlighting our favorites below.

Ross Gellar (Friends)

The ultimate TV divorcee — in sitcoms, at least — is easily Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer), who is splitting from his first wife, Carol, in the Friends pilot. In Season 4, his marriage to Emily Waltham (Helen Baxendale) is ruined during the ceremony because of his oft-debated history with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), who later becomes his third wife by a drunken mistake in Vegas. 

Joyce Byers (Stranger Things)

Before Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and the rest of the Stranger Things cast faced off against Demagorgons and other creatures, she had another monster to contend with: her husband. The selfish, deceitful, and abusive Lonnie (Ross Partridge) did not even care about the disappearance of his own son, Will (Noah Schnapp), in Season 1 of the Netflix sci-fi drama and blamed Joyce, who eventually — and quite thankfully — found romance with longtime friend, Jim Hopper (David Harbour).

Don Draper (Mad Men)

The seemingly picture-perfect union of Don Draper and Betty Hofstadt (Mad Men cast members Jon Hamm and January Jones) came to an end by the AMC period drama’s fourth season after unsuccessful attempts to reconcile amid each other’s affairs. However, it was not the ad executive’s last or even first marriage. Previously, his union with Anna Draper (Melinda Page Hamilton) — widow of the man whose identity he stole — was annulled and he and his third wife, Megan Calvet (Jessica Pare), began to grow apart in the penultimate season.

Reba Hart (Reba)

One of the best country music singers-turned-actors, Reba McEntire, became sitcom royalty with her Golden Globe-nominated performance as the lead of her own comedy on The WB (and, later, The CW). Lasting six seasons, Reba was the story of a Southern single mother of three struggling to maintain a relationship with her ex-husband (played by Christopher Rich) and the woman he left her for (Melissa Peterman). Luckily, as the theme song says, she’s a survivor.

Seong Gi-hun (Squid Game)

In one of the best Netflix TV shows, Squid Game, the central protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae) chooses to leave for the deadly tournament after surviving the first round. But, after learning that his daughter is about to move to the United States with his ex-wife and her new husband, which is what convenes him to reenter the games. However, in the Season 1 finale, he ditches his chance to reconnect with his daughter in favor of taking down the tournament, which we will see playing when Season 2 of the South Korean hit premieres.

Frasier Crane (Cheers, Frasier)

On Cheers, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) meets and eventually weds fellow psychiatrist, Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth). After she left him for another man before later pleading reconciliation, the long-running series ended with their marriage facing an uncertain fate. When Frasier’s self-titled spin-off premiered, it was revealed that he had left for good before packing up for Seattle, where they would sometimes reunite, including on Paramount+’s revival series in 2023.

Toby Flenderson (The Office)

The HR representative at Dunder-Mifflin’s Scranton branch, Toby Flenderson (The Office writer Paul Lieberstein), is divorced — a fact his self-described enemy, branch manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell), often uses to taunt him. Toby and his ex-wife had a daughter named Sasha (Delaney Ruth Farrell), whom we meet in one of the most cringe-worthy episodes of The Office, “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.”

Dorothy Zbornak (The Golden Girls)

What led Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) to move in with her mother, Sophia (Estelle Getty), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), and Rose (Betty White) is her split from Stan (Herb Edelman). Nonetheless, Dorothy’s ex-husband would remain a recurring staple of The Golden Girls, and the former spouses’ lasting, yet imperfect, affection for one another made for a uniquely charming pair.

Bobby And Pam Ewing (Dallas)

The only thing as captivating as the mystery of who shot J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) on Dallas was the marriage of Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) to Pamela (Victoria Principal), who comes from the rival Barnes family. The Romeo and Juliet-style romance which turned many against them was initially the central focus of the primetime soap (one of the most popular TV shows of its time), until the couple ended up turning against each other.

Kirk And Luann Van Houten (The Simpsons)

In Season 3 of The Simpsons, we meet Milhouse’s parents, Kirk (Hank Azaria) — one of the most popular Simpsons characters to enter the series late — and Luann Van Houten (Maggie Roswell). In Season 8 — after a disastrous game of Pictionary at Homer and Marge’s dinner party — the couple called it quits and Kirk’s many efforts to salvage their union — including penning a song called “Can I Borrow a Feeling” — could not redeem it, unfortunately.

Grace Adler (Will & Grace)

Interior designer Grace Adler (Will & Grace cast member Debra Messing) almost got married in the pilot before finally finding her match in Dr. Leo Marcus (Harry Connick, Jr.), until his one-night-stand on a Cambodian Doctors Without Borders assignment ruined things. While they managed to work things out, remarry, and raise their daughter together in the finale, the 2017 revival series (which ignores the previous series’ ender) reveals that Grace, unable to trust Leo for his past mistake, left him again.

Michael And Jane Mancini (Melrose Place)

At the beginning of Melrose Place, the heart and soul of the Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off was surgeon Michael (Thomas Calabro) and fashion designer Jane Mancini (Josie Bissett). However, by Season 2, Michael’s suddenly villainous transformation — complete with a terrible attitude and adulterous habits — saw the end of the marriage.

Matt Foley (Saturday Night Live)

When Chris Farley’s most famous SNL character, Matt Foley, made his SNL debut — in a beloved sketch written by Bob Odenkirk — the motivational speaker provided three important facts about his life: he is 35, divorced, and lives in a van down by the river. In subsequent editions of the bit, we learn he has actually been married “thrice” and even winds up in jail for failing to pay alimony at one point.

Cleveland Brown (Family Guy)

One of the funniest Family Guy characters, Cleveland Brown (Arif Zahir, who replaced Mike Henry) was married to Loretta (Alex Borstein) until she was caught cheating with Quagmire (Seth MacFarlane). When he got his own spin-off, The Cleveland Show, he reunited with his childhood friend and secret crush, Donna Tubbs (Sanaa Lathan), and his dreams came true when they married.

Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

After years of putting up with the neurotic and selfish behavior of her husband, Larry David (creator Larry David), the final straw for Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) came late in Curb Your Enthusiasm’s sixth season when he was too preoccupied with a TiVo installer to comfort her during a turbulent flight over the phone. Larry would later attempt a few schemes to win her back, including casting her as the wife of a character he inspired, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), for an in-show Seinfeld cast reunion special. 

Alan Harper (Two And A Half Men)

Initially, the premise of the long-running CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men, saw Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) reluctantly take in his brother, Alan (Jon Cryer), and nephew, Jake (Angus T. Jones), after Alan’s wife, Judith (Marin Hinkle) kicks him out. Alan later meets and marries the young, ditzy Kandi (April Bowlby) in an impromptu ceremony, but she splits with him because of — as it is eventually revealed — their differing opinions on having children… and his ear, nose, and chest hair.

Selina Meyer (Veep)

For, just about, the entire duration of their 12-year marriage, Andrew Meyer (David Pasquesi) cheated on his wife, Selina (Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus) almost constantly. Still, upon their reunion on Veep — a show Parks and Rec fans will love —  the attraction between them remains strong, which results in some increasingly ridiculous hijinks behind the scenes of Selina’s political career.

Lucious And Cookie Lyon (Empire)

We learn at the beginning of Empire that Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) divorced Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) while she was still in prison — kicking off a volatile personal and professional relationship between the music industry magnates upon her release. While they would remarry in Season 4, the sixth and final season began with them separated before, eventually, finalizing their second split.

Maura And Shelly Pfefferman (Transparent)

At the beginning of Amazon’s Emmy-winning dramedy, Transparent, Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor) — then known as “Morton” — revealed to her wife, Shelley (Judith Light) that she was transgender, Shelley could not accept this news and opted to split up. Eventually, however, despite a brief chance at rekindling their romance, they prove to be much stronger friends.

Jules Cobb (Cougar Town)

After the series finale, Friends cast member Courteney Cox’s most successful follow-up was an ABC (later TBS) original sitcom called Cougar Town. She played Jules Cobb: a single, forty-something mother to Travis (Dan Byrd) — whom she had with ex-husband, Bobby (Brian Van Holt) — who eventually remarries when she falls for her neighbor, Grayson Ellis (Josh Hopkins).

Lou Grant (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

One of the first TV characters depicted as a divorcé was Lou Grant, portrayed by the late Ed Asner to multi-Emmy-winning acclaim on The Mary Tyler Moore and on his more dramatic self-titled spin-off. The TV news producer’s marriage to Edie (Priscilla Morrill) ends roughly halfway through the series, but they remain in touch and Lou even attends Edie’s nuptials to Howard Gordon.

Erica Kane (All My Children)

One of the most notorious divorcés in TV history is Erica Kane, played by the legendary Susan Lucci on All My Children. Over the course of four decades on the ABC daytime soap opera, the businesswoman was seen tying the knot a staggering eleven times.

Angela Bower (Who's The Boss?)

Years before Judith Light portrayed a divorcé on Transparent, she played single mother Angela Bower on the hit ABC sitcom, Who’s the Boss? The advertising executive would eventually find love again with her widowed live-in housekeeper, Tony Micelle (Tony Danza).

Rhoda Morgenstern (Rhoda)

When Valerie Harper left the Mary Tyler Moore Show to star in her own spin-off, Rhoda, the title character would meet and marry a divorced man named Joe Gerard (David Groh). Their relationship would only last a couple more years and we discovered much later in a 2000 TV movie called Mary and Rhoda that she found a new French husband named Jean-Pierre Rousseau, but that marriage did not last either.

Niles Crane (Frasier)

Arguably the funniest recurring gag in Frasier is that Niles Crane’s (David Hyde Pierce) wife, Maris, is never once seen — due to the characters’ increasingly bizarre descriptions making her impossible to cast — even after their marriage falls apart in Season 4. Thankfully, Niles would later fall in love with his brother’s housekeeper, Daphne (Jane Leeves).

Angela Martin (The Office)

After her engagement to Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) ends due to her affair with Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), Angela Martin’s (Angela Kinsey) marriage to state senator Robert Lipton (Jack Coleman) ends due to his affair with Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) in the final season of The Office. Soon after, she and Dwight finally and openly admit their love for each other and wed in the series finale, which actually counts as their second after Dwight fooled her into a marriage while she was still engaged to Andy.

Alexis Morrell (Dynasty)

Much of the most intense drama on the long-running primetime soap opera, Dynasty — which was later rebooted for The CW — stemmed from the relationship between former spouses Alexis Morrell (Joan Collins) and Blake Carrington (John Forsyth). The marriage was actually the first of four for the socialite, who also went on to marry Cecil Colby, Dex Dexter, and Sean Rowan.

Bill Dauterive (King Of The Hill)

For all 13 seasons of King of the Hill, Bill Dauterive (voiced by Stephen Root) never quite got over his ex-wife, Leonare (Ellen Barkin). There was a time in Season 5 when he had a chance at finding love again with former Texas governor Ann Richards (voicing herself), which ultimately went nowhere, but was almost ruined by one of Leonare’s schemes.

Mike and Gloria Stivic (All In The Family)

The conservative Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) would constantly butt heads with the more liberal Mike Stivic (future filmmaker Rob Reiner), who was married to his daughter, Gloria. However, by the end of the groundbreaking run of All in the Family, the couple separated. Archie initially assumed it was by Mike’s doing, until Gloria admitted to her own infidelity.

Mr. Big (Sex And The City)

The classic “will they, won’t they” relationship between Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City cast lead Sarah Jessica Parker) and John James “Mr. Big” Preston (Chris Noth), would eventually result in marriage (until his death, as revealed in the sequel series, And Just Like That…), which was the entrepreneur’s third. He was previously married to a woman named Barbara and, during a time when he and Carrie were apart, married a younger woman named Natasha (Bridget Moynahan).

Louie (Louie)

Much like in real life, Louis C.K.’s fictionalized version of himself in the acclaimed FX series, Louie, is a divorced comedian. In fact, one of its sharpest elements is its almost tragically hilarious depiction of single parenthood from his perspective.

Henry VIII (The Tudors)

Borrowed straight from the history books, Showtime’s The Tudors incorporates a truly heinous depiction of a marriage ending. Because divorce is against her religion, Catherine (Maria Doyle Kennedy) has her marriage to King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) annulled due to his obsession with Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer). As a result, she is exiled. 

Breaking up is hard to do, but in the case of these divorced characters, it made for great television.

Compared to other occupations, it’s very rare to hear of an established actor retiring from the entertainment industry. But long before Bruce Willis' retirement was announced following his aphasia diagnosis, Empire star Terrence Howard announced his proposed retirement following the end of Empire. Fortunately, the actor decided to take on more projects after the series ended in 2020. Viewers were surprised when it was announced he would return for the limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters. While fans thought Howard had reneged on his pledge and would keep working, he might’ve just burst their bubble, as he explained why it's time to retire, again.

Howard returned to acting to play resident playboy Quentin Spivey for the Best Man franchise’s televised conclusion (which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription on December 22). Unlike his previous retirement declaration, the Oscar-nominated actor was more serious about stepping away from entertainment this time when speaking with ET at the Peacock miniseries’ red-carpet premiere.

The Lucious Lyon actor wanted to go out on his terms before Hollywood pushes him out. Howard has played a variety of roles across multiple genres, including The Jacksons: An American Dream and Electric Dreams. The impersonation angle isn’t too farfetched as some notable actors have essentially played themselves as they enter the twilight of their careers. Playing pretend for a living can become tiresome after some time too as roles become less frequent and based more on a person's given persona, rather than their ability to transform into someone completely different.

While Howard is on his final curtain call, that doesn’t mean he’s done being an acting spectator. The 53-year-old mentioned he was looking forward to up-and-coming actors shining in Hollywood.

It’s nice that Howard will be championing young actors even though he doesn't plan on acting anymore. Despite his move to retire once again, audiences won’t be left high and dry after the limited series ends. He has several projects coming down the pipeline. He will star in the horror film Skeletons in the Closet with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr., the Shirley Chisholm biopic Shirley with Oscar winner Regina King, and the thriller Afterwards with Aaron Eckhart.

In the meantime, check out our TV schedule to see what new and returning TV premieres are coming before you watch The Best Man: The Final Chapters. Don’t forget to look over our 2023 TV schedule to see what other shows are coming as well.

Most would agree that Tyrese Gibson has had an incredibly successful career. The entertainment veteran originally started his career in the music industry before making the jump to film and television. In the years since, the actor has landed roles in some high-profile productions, yet his journey hasn’t been perfect. He’s earned plenty of roles in his time, but he’s also lost some, which Gibson partially attributes to his skin complexion. Now, Gibson is getting candid about his experiences as a dark-skinned man in Hollywood and losing out on opportunities to actors like Terrence Howard. He’s also crediting stars like Lupita Nyong’o and Viola Davis for helping to ring in a wave of change.

Actors have varied experiences in Hollywood for a myriad of reasons, ranging from their age and gender to their race and sexual orientation. Over the past few decades, Tyrese Gibson appears to have seen the ups and downs that come with being a dark-skinned actor. While speaking with The Lemonade Stand, Gibson illustrated his point by reflecting on his pre-Hollywood life and describing an experience with Terrence Howard, who he recently worked with one the upcoming film, The System:

What Tyrese Gibson is referring to is the top of colorism, an inherent bias against people with darker skin tones. It’s been a major topic of discussion in the entertainment industry, particularly over the past several years. And what’s particularly sad about colorism is that much of the prejudice can come from people of the same ethnic group, which seems to line up with Gibson’s own experiences.

Most would agree that there’s still plenty of work to be done when it comes to colorism, but progress is gradually being made. Tyrese Gibson explained that he sees certain A-list stars as examples of how Hollywood is starting to embrace artists with darker skin tones:

It’s true that Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o have been shining examples of dark-skinned actors who are thriving in the Hollywood landscape. Their Oscars and massive film credits are a testament to that. But Tyrese Gibson has also served as a beacon of hope in this regard. He has, after all, had roles in some of the highest grossing franchises of all time (Transformers and Fast & Furious), and he continues to work on a consistent basis.

One can’t help but appreciate Tyrese Gibson’s candor on the subject of colorism and how it relates to Hollywood. Hopefully, discussions like these become more commonplace and ultimately serve as a small step in sparking some change in the entertainment world.

Empire’s series finale aired in April and wrapped up the story of hip-hop mogul Lucious Lyon and his family. The series was also meant to be the last we saw of Terrence Howard on screen. Last year, the actor revealed that he was “done with acting” after the end of the Fox drama. However, Howard is coming out of actor retirement early for an exciting new TV project.

Linking up with Ozark producer Zero Gravity Management, Terrence Howard will next star in the pilot for Delta Blues, a one-hour drama about the late blues composer and musician William Christopher (W.C.) Handy, often referred to as the Father of the Blues. Per Deadline, Howard will also be making his directorial debut on the show. Star alum Evan Ross will also be joining the cast. It’s unclear what Howard and Ross’ roles will be on the show, but it’s important to note that neither will be portraying Handy.

Set in 1903, Delta Blues will explore W.C. Handy’s life as a musician, from leading Mahara’s Minstrels to joining the Black Masonic brass band, the Knights of Pythias, and composing his first blues songs. After landing his first major hit in 1914 with “Saint Louis Blues,” Handy moved to New York and became the first to publish blues music, catapulting it to new levels of renown. However, Handy struggles with his newfound success amidst the continued racial injustices of the Jim Crow era.

Terrence Howard said that the Delta Blues' script was “better than bacon” and too good to pass up, which is why he’s coming out of retirement to star in and direct the series. In a statement, Howard had this to say about the project:

Delta Blues has not yet been picked up by a network or streaming service. I’d wager that Zero Gravity Management’s involvement with the drama might mean that Netflix could pick up the show. The entertainment company has produced two Netflix series already with Ozark and the Octavia Spencer-led drama, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker. However, it’s anyone’s guess at this point regarding where Delta Blues could land.

I’ll be interested to find out if Terrence Howard does actually retire after Delta Blues or if he’ll simply transition to directing more TV projects in the future. At this point, only time will tell, but I’m definitely looking forward to Howard’s next major series. It sounds like it’ll be a good one.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on Delta Blues. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule for information on every new and returning show.

Just about every major TV show has faced a negative impact from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with many series having to face the reality that their current seasons won't be allowed to continue. Not every show is feeling the same kinds of woes, however, and Fox's Empire is arguably in a far worse predicament than most others, considering this is the twisty drama's final season. Unfortunately, it was confirmed that Empire will indeed cut Season 6 short without having filmed its intended series finale.

The confirmation was made in a way that viewers may not have even fully grasped in the moment. Following Tuesday night's installment, the promo for the next episode, "We Got Us," kicked off by telling audiences to be prepared for "the shocking final three episodes" of Empire, even though there were originally five more that would have wrapped up the sixth season. However, Hollywood's gradual shutdown for the coronavirus pandemic came when the drama was still in the midst of shooting Episode 19, without any filming being done on what was previously meant to be the finale.

At this point, it's not completely confirmed how Empire will be handling what will now be its series finale, which is set to air on April 21. Episode 18 was the final episode that fully completed filming before the shutdown, and per Deadline, the producers will probably be adding in some of the finished footage from Episode 19. Here's hoping there's enough there for everything to make contextual sense without any problems. Because the Lyons have more than enough problems already.

Some spoilers below for the latest episode of Empire, "Love Me Still."

Empire's big wedding between Andre and Teri went off without a hitch on Tuesday night. Wait, no, that's the complete opposite of what actually happened, with Andre going all Kingsley on the venue after Teri made her exit following her talk with Cookie. It definitely seems like the show is going to push Andre right over the edge, but it remains to be seen how far he'll actually be able go without the official series finale in place.

As fans are well aware, Empire already had to shake up its sixth and final season thanks to all the legal issues surrounding former star Jussie Smollet, whose character Jamal was name-checked in the latest episode. He and Kai were said to be in Nairobi getting a new baby and finalizing the adoption process, but even though the character's story has continued progressing, viewers shouldn't expect to see Smollet back on screen at any point in the final episodes.

While there was a brief window when it looked like Jussie Smollet might still get a chance to return, it was confirmed various times since then that Empire will wrap up without him. That stance has been strengthened lately, with new indictments coming down in February, which the actor's legal team failed to get dismissed.

Of all the shows facing delays, Empire and Supernatural were the only series whose final seasons were disrupted by the coronavirus shutdowns. Supernatural showrunner Andrew Dabb had previously confirmed that the CW drama would officially wrap up its fifteenth year later in 2020 by filming the final two episodes and airing them with another five eps being held for that final run.

While Empire may be ending on Fox, there's always hope that the story will continue on in spinoff form, seeing as how no firm decisions have ever been announced regarding the proposed plan to give Taraji P. Henson's Cookie Lyon a prequel series. The flagship drama has been building the story between Cookie and Candace and other sisters recently, as it has in years past, perhaps with the goal of going deeper into that history with a follow-up series. Of course, Hollywood will need to start up again in order for that to ever happen anyway.

With three episodes left to go in its final season, Empire airs Wednesday nights on Fox at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Major spoilers ahead for Empire’s Season 6 midseason finale, “Cold Cold Man.”

Empire’s Season 6 winter finale escalated what was an already precarious situation and ended on a cliffhanger that saw both Cookie and Lucious staring down the barrel of Tracy’s gun. In the midst of a season that has included flash-forwards alluding to both of the Lyons' deaths, Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney thankfully discussed the midseason ending to let fans know when we will get answers.

Empire’s midseason finale, titled “Cold Cold Man,” left viewers shocked and confused about the episode’s final moments, which seemingly take place before the flash-forwards that have been teasing Lucious and Cookie’s deaths. Based on those sequences involving Cookie's explosion and Lucius' gunshot wounds, does that info take away from the impact of the episode's cliffhanger? Showrunner Brett Mahoney doesn’t think so, though, and here’s what he said regarding when all will be revealed:

Brett Mahoney’s answer sounds a lot like Tracy may not have been responsible for shooting Lucious, or at least not for the gunshot wounds that we're already aware of. It’s not unusual for this show to pull some trickery to fool the audience, only to give up answers in later episode. Plus, this wouldn’t be a very good cliffhanger if the future was 100% already known.

If Tracy didn’t shoot Lucious, arguably the next big suspect on the list is Cookie. Prior to Tracy walking in with the gun, Cookie was just about ready to shoot her husband, who refused to give her the divorce she wanted. In fact, in his interview with TVLine, the Empire exec seemed to imply that Cookie might be the one revealed to have pulled the trigger after all.

All signs seem to be pointing towards Cookie crumbling, and it wouldn’t be surprising if she did shoot Lucious. The pair has had a toxic relationship for many years, and if she got driven to the edge, Cookie may have pulled the trigger on him as a desperate way out of her marriage, or just plain vengeance. While the circumstantial evidence is all there, I imagine the midseason premiere won’t play out the way fans might expect, but perhaps at least one character might get a happy ending.

Empire Season 6 will return to Fox in 2020, and it appears Jussie Smollett’s return has been discussed, though no premiere date has been scheduled yet. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our midseason guide to see what’s new and returning.

It’s hard to believe Empire is currently airing its sixth and final season on Fox. The show has already premiere with a pretty shocking opener, but despite the cliffhanger season premiere, the larger absence that may be felt is that of Jussie Smollett. Now, Terrence Howard is speaking out about his feelings related to the actor missing from the show.

While Terrence Howard did not address any of the allegations still being lobbied against the actor, he did say he personally has missed Jussie Smollett on the set of Empire during production so far in Season 6.

As for Terrence Howard, this isn’t the first time the actor has spoken out in support of Jussie Smollett. He’s mentioned previously he feels like Jussie Smollett is someone he’s “called my son” across the time they’ve spent working together on Empire and has said the Smollett he knows is not the one that has been portrayed in the media. Ultimately, however, Jussie Smollett is not expected to appear as Jamal in Season 6 of Empire as it says its final goodbyes to fans.

While not seemingly willing or wanting to wade into the personal life allegations that have been lobbied against Jussie Smollett by the Chicago Police Department, Terrence Howard did tell Extra’s Billy Bush that the actor has been missed during the filming of the current season of Empire. It’s probably a weird position to be in, to have a relationship with an actor who was unceremoniously dropped from the show following a series of allegations and reports.

Jussie Smollett was ultimately cut out of Season 6 of Empire after allegations hit following an attack and the idea he may have orchestrated a hate crime against himself. While the initial charges that the attack may have been a hoax were dropped, there’s still an ongoing separate investigation by the Cook County inspector general and the Chicago police are still trying to recoup $130,000 in costs related to that investigation.

None of this is remotely related to Empire or its final season, and Fox ultimately decided it wasn’t worth keeping Jussie Smollett on the air as all of this personal life stuff was going on. Show creator Lee Daniels confirmed the decision back in June. Then, Smollett's exit was explained ahead of the premiere, with Daniels noting his character Jamal will be “taking a sabbatical” away from the rest of the Lyon family.

Meanwhile, the Fox series has already moved on to a bigger focal point this season, possibly relating to the death of its patriarch. Empire currently airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. To take a look at when all of your other fall favorites are returning, check out CinemaBlend's full premiere schedule.

Fox's Empire hasn't exactly had much trouble finding its way into the limelight in the past year, with now-former star Jussie Smollett's legal issues still making waves in the news. However, the Lyon family has a lot more drama than just a suddenly absent Jamal to worry about, and it sounds like the upcoming Season 6 might be star Terrence Howard's swan song as an actor.

A one-time member of the MCU, Terrence Howard has spent the last five years as a bonafide TV star on one of the medium's most ratings-friendly dramas. But when Season 6 is in the can, will Howard's acting career follow it? Here's what he said when asked about what he sees for his career after Empire:

In and of itself, Terrence Howard's quasi-retirement announcement is nearly as surprising as most of the messy situations that Lucious Fox gets himself into on Empire. Albeit with far less rage and fewer dead bodies on the ground, but still. One might imagine that Howard would have access to a slew of interesting offers to sort through in his post-Empire career, but it doesn't sound like he's interested in hearing them.

In his interview with Extra, Terrence Howard is asked if he's going into more philanthropic efforts, but he seems to have other things in mind. In his words:

That's an interesting comment to make, especially without any context concerning what kinds of truth Terrence Howard wants to bring to the world. For one, it sounds like the exact opposite of the kind of behavior that his character Lucious would latch onto. Even if the Lyon family patriarch would try to tell the truth, he'd just get drowned out by all the skeletons in his closet settling their bones.

Off the screen, Terrence Howard has spent some of 2019 embroiled in a legal situation involving investigations into his finances. It was reported that the government was going after Howard for failure to pay taxes in previous years, which isn't the first time the actor has faced such claims. When other Hollywood stars fall into that kind of trouble, they seemingly try to book as many acting jobs as possible in order to cover the legal fees involved. But Howard apparently has other plans in mind.

For what it's worth, though, Terrence Howard doesn't appear to be overwhelmingly happy that Empire is coming to an end with Season 6, and there are definitely elements of the show that he'll miss. Here's how he put it:

Will Empire Season 6 really be the last time that fans get to see Terrence Howard portraying a fictional character on the small screen? Or were his comments really just a stealthy tease for some historical biopic or a "based on a true story" project that he's got cooking up? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Check out the Extra interview below to see if you think Howard is being on the level or not.

Empire Season 6 will tear up the fall schedule when it debuts on Fox on Tuesday, September 24, at 9 p.m. ET.

Since his first appearance in the role back in 2008, which has now become iconic for a wide slew of reasons in the past 11 years, Robert Downey Jr. has renewed his career status, rose straight to the A-list and made a hell of a lot of money becoming Tony Stark, i.e. Iron Man, in Jon Favreau's Iron Man. But while his paycheck for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, respectively, were most certainly Tony Stark-level mountains of cash, the actor's earnings for the original Iron Man weren't as plentiful as you might think. In fact, he wasn't even the highest paid actor on set, if you can believe it.

In a surprising turn of events, Robert Downey Jr. didn't walk away with the biggest paycheck on Iron Man, believe it or not. And it wasn't Jeff Bridges or Gwyneth Paltrow either. Nope. According to a report from Entertainment Weekly, the actor who walked away with the biggest payday was Terrence Howard. The reason why Terrence Howard had the biggest salary relates to a number of different factors related to the making of the superhero film.

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became what it is today, Iron Man had a lot to prove. It was a tentpole movie based on a comic book property that wasn't obscure, by any means, but it wasn't Superman, Batman, Spider-Man or X-Men. It was 2008, just when the superhero movie boom was about to take place.

And with that in mind, superhero movies weren't proven properties, and the journey to bring the character to the big screen wasn't quite as easy as it would be to green-light, say, anything producer Kevin Feige wanted to see happen today. As such, the casting process took awhile.

There was a lot of back-and-forth regarding who should play the role of Tony Stark. There were several big names like Hugh Jackman, Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage reportedly circling the part, though it's unclear how close any of these actors were to getting the role — if they were even close at all. But director Jon Favreau fought hard to have Robert Downey Jr. play the title superhero.

You have to remember, in 2008, Robert Downey Jr. was still known in Hollywood for his earlier, more troubled years. Though he was making a comeback with acclaimed films like 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 2006's A Scanner Darkly and 2007's Zodiac, he wasn't a guaranteed success as the main lead of this giant blockbuster with superhuman expectations. There was no way the studio could get a guarantee — in any fashion — that Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man would bring in audiences.

But Jon Favreau was confident in his decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. in the role. He not only felt that Downey has the charisma and acting chops to pull off a role of like this one, but he has the personal lived-in experience — as alluded to earlier — to make the role sing in a honest, real, humanized way.

As Jn Favreau explained, Robert Downey Jr's life has always been seen in the public eye. He knows what it's like to fight the struggles Tony Stark faces during the film, and he knows what it's like to bring the depth and emotional sincerity that was pivotal to the character. After all, there are a ton of actors who can play a smarmy a-hole, to varying success. But Robert Downey Jr. can not only be a likable jerk, in PG-terms, but can also make that character realized.

Anway, the reason that story was brought up was because the casting process for Tony Stark wasn't the first casting decision made for the film. The role required the right actor, and the studio, producers and directors went back-and-forth a lot before they finally came to a compromise — and, I think it's safe to say, the right decision.

But the casting process for Colonel James Rhodes, Stark's loyal friend and future War Machine, was notably less complex. As such, it didn't take long before everyone agreed that Terrence Howard was a great pick for the role, and the actor was the first actor who was cast.

With that, when the film was finally coming together in full fruition, it was reportedly already too late to renegotiate Terrence Howard's deal. And while it was an easy casting decision, the process on set was notably a lot more complicated.

Reports from the set claim that Terrence Howard was allegedly difficult to work with, and the producers and director Jon Favreau were reportedly unhappy with what Howard's performance shaped up to be. So much so that, according to an unnamed insider, the editor and director of Iron Man had to reshoot, re-edit and retool certain parts of the hit film in order to change it.

While Terrence Howard's publicist publicly claimed that the actor had a "tremendous experience" working on Iron Man, the reports surrounding Iron Man and Iron Man 2 suggest that Jon Favreau remained less-than-enthused throughout the process of crafting both films. When it came time for screenwriter Justin Theroux to write the screenplay for the sequel, he and Favreau were reportedly trying to figure out ways to minimize Howard's storyline inside the movie.

With that, the producers of Iron Man 2 felt it was unnecessary to pay Terrence Howard as much — if not more — than what he received for that original movie, and they were hoping to renegotiate the actor's contract for real this time, dramatically reducing their offer this time.

Obviously, Terrence Howard and his agents were none-too-pleased to hear this news. Your movie turns out to be a major hit, outmatching all the huge expectations you hoped would be found, and now the producers are coming around and telling you that your screen-time is getting cut AND you're making a whole lot less money this time around? That wouldn't seem fair to any actor.

As such, the agents were apparently so aghast by this reworked offer that they were willing to fight it. The cut was believed to be drastic; we're talking 50-to-80 percent less than what the actor made before. And it is safe to say that Terrence Howard wasn't going to happily accept the lowered income.

From there, it is a bit unclear what exactly happened. Either Terrence Howard decided his time was best spent elsewhere, or Marvel finally had enough and decided it was time to cut ties with the actor and say goodbye. No matter what ultimately went down, Terrence Howard was gone. Literally out of the picture.

It didn't take too long before Don Cheadle was cast in the role. And the fellow Oscar-nominated actor would continue to play the role for every consecutive film in the series, leading all the way up to this summer's Avengers: Endgame, which is potentially on track to be the highest grossing film of all-time.

With that in mind, there is a chance that people forget that Terrence Howard was in the original Iron Man. Much like Mark Ruffalo and The Hulk, people are quicker to associate Don Cheadle to the role opposed to the actor who played the part beforehand since he has ultimately played the part for a much longer amount of time.

Nevertheless, while Terrence Howard was disgruntled about his time with Iron Man overall, ultimately blaming Robert Downey Jr. and claiming that the actor took the money that should've gone to him, he did walk away with a lot of money for appearing in that first film.

While one can argue whether or not Terrence Howard made the right decision, things did work out for him in the long run. Specifically, Howard found himself playing one of his most famous and popular characters in the long-standing Fox drama series Empire, where he plays Lucious Lyon. The role has provided the actor with critical and commercial success, and there is no guarantee that he could've played the role if he was still saddled onto the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, it's possible that he maybe could've played both, but there's no way to say for certain. And it's ultimately all hypothetical anyway.

Nevertheless, despite what you might think, Robert Downey Jr. wasn't the actor who walked away with the biggest paycheck for that first Iron Man film. At least, not initially. But obviously, that changed soon enough. Thanks to deals his team would make starting from the beginning, the actor would receive more money from the backlog if the film turned out to be a huge success. And thankfully for him, it did.

As the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanded, so too did Robert Downey Jr.'s wallet. And it was reported that the actor made upwards of $50 million or more for his work in the last two Avengers movies. Certainly, Robert Downey Jr. found a way to make a hefty paycheck — even if it wasn't exactly in the most orthodox fashion. Hollywood can be a funny business sometimes.

The Jussie Smollett situation is bizarre to watch play out from afar, but it's especially tough for the people in his life. Smollett was just arrested on a felony charge of disorderly conduct after his allegedly false claim that he was attacked. The Empire actor plays Jamal Lyon on the Fox drama, with Terrence Howard as his father Lucious Lyon. Howard posted love for his on-screen son with a sweet video showing Smollett holding a baby:

As you can see, he captioned the video, "All your lil homies got you. We love the hell outta you." Some fans were surprised by his support, considering the damage Jussie Smollett is accused of doing to fake an attack. Here's how Terrence Howard replied to one critic:

It's a totally different thing when you know the person in question. Terrence Howard and Jussie Smollett have been co-stars for five seasons. Smollett insists he didn't make up the attack, despite Chicago police claiming he paid two brothers to target him because he was allegedly unhappy with his salary on the show.

According to CNN, Jussie Smollett's attorneys said they plan to mount "an aggressive defense."

Empire and the Fox brass have changed their tunes over the past week. Initially, they stood by Jussie Smollett. When a rumor spread that Smollett staged the attack because he was worried about being written off the show, the network and show blasted the rumor as "patently ridiculous." They had no plans to write him off the show.

But now that Jussie Smollett has been arrested, Fox shared a statement saying Empire planned to remove the character of Jamal from the final two episodes of Season 5. There are also now rumors that Empire producers are considering recasting the role of Jamal for Season 6, so as to keep the character around.

Jussie Smollett claimed he was attacked on January 29. The next day, Terrence Howard spoke about the incident on Good Morning America (via Us Weekly), sharing how the Empire cast reacted when they heard Smollett was hospitalized:

Previously, fellow Empire star Taraji P. Henson said she just told Jussie Smollett to speak his truth.

Jussie Smollett is reportedly due back in court March 14. Empire Season 5 returns from break on March 13 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, as one of the many shows airing during the 2019 midseason.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown to an absolutely enormous place, with countless characters and superheroes occupying the space for serialized storytelling. But it all began with 2007's Iron Man, and those characters have the longest tenure in the universe; this includes Tony Stark, Happy Hogan, Nick Fury, and James Rhodes (aka War Machine). While Don Cheadle has been acclaimed for his long standing role as the Marvel hero, Empire's Terrence Howard actually played Rhodey for the first Iron Man movie, before being replaced. He was recently asked about returning to the MCU, and he didn't mince words about his feelings towards the shared universe, saying:

Well, that was pretty cut and dry. Terrence Howard has no interest in returning to the MCU was War Machine. Furthermore, he seems to have some mild disdain for the franchise as a whole, if his f-bombs are any indication.

This NSFW response comes from Terrence Howard's recent appearance on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live. When host Andy Cohen welcomed viewer questions, one caller asked about the actor possibly returning to play War Machine in the MCU. His response couldn't have been more clear. Luckily, the shared universe still has a Rhodey to continue on when the character returns with Avengers 4, thanks to actor Don Cheadle.

Terrance Howard's departure from the MCU is one of the shared universe's first scandals, especially since it was so noticeable from even casual audiences. Howard actually spoke out about the firing in a few years ago (also on Watch What Happens Live) alleging Robert Downey Jr.'s demands for a pay raise came from Howard's salary, resulting in his firing.

Narratively, Avengers 4 has the potential to be a big movie for Terrence Howard's former Marvel hero. War Machine is one of the few characters to survive Thanos' finger snap of death in Infinity War, making him all the more valuable as the final heroes attempt to reverse the snap, and defeat Thanos once and for all. It's unclear how long Don Cheadle will remain in the MCU, as many of the shared universe's biggest stars are coming to the end of their contract with the upcoming Avengers flick. But if RDJ decides to leave the mantle of Iron Man behind, Rhodey seems like a great choice to take on the iconic armor.

All will be revealed when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Celebrity memes are outstanding. But do you know what makes a good meme even better? When the celebrity who is indirectly involved in a meme embraces it, and takes it to another level. Paris Hilton using Mean Girls quotes on her social media channels. Keanu Reeves acting sad while sitting near people. And now, to add to the pile we bring you Terrence Howard -- he of Empire and Hustle & Flow -- using his "Mayne" meme on his own Twitter feed.

Let me back up and catch y'all up on this slang-based gag. In Hustle & Flow, Terrence Howard got some love for the way that he said the word "man." It was more like "mayne." It even inspired a drinking game, though if you played it, you might have died from liver failure.

A few days ago, an Internet meme was born when people started pasting Terrence Howard's face onto popular movie and television characters, reviving the use of "Mayne" in the funniest ways possible. Keeping it in the Marvel family (which is mean, considering Howard was the original War Machine), we men Ant-Mayne:

Given the fact that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is on its way to theaters, we got Jedi Mayne:

And probably my favorite, a nod to the mature side of the DC Extended Universe:

Believe me when I tell you that these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to clever ways that the Internet worked Terrence Howard's Hustle & Flow character into pop culture references. And it's really funny that T-Ho has recognized it, added his own recommendations into which ones he'd like to see used, and shuffled off. But before he left, he dropped this very sweet one on his fans. Winner!

Now excuse me, mayne. I need to go ask some pimps if it's still hard out here.

Anna Paquin is heading back to television for the most exciting project she's been in since True Blood. For those of you who were hoping for more Sookie Stackhouse action, you're going to leave disappointed. Paquin is, however, stepping back into the world of the weird as she joins the anthology series Phillip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.

Based on the short stories of the acclaimed science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick, Phillip K. Dick's Electric Dreams will feature 10 standalone episodes featuring both American and British actors. Anna Paquin is slated to star alongside Empire star Terrence Howard in the episode "Real Life" which features a policewoman and video game developer teaming up to stop violent murderers. The series is slated for Amazon Video in the U.S. and Channel 4 in the UK. Paquin's episode was written by science fiction icon Ronald D. Moore. No official date has been revealed for the show, but it is reported to be released sometime within the year. This will be Amazon's second series based on the works of Phillip K. Dick, with the first being The Man In High Castle.

Anna Paquin and Terrence Howard join an increasingly impressive cast list for Phillip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, which was already stacked before their arrival. Variety reports that Paquin will join names like Greg Kinnear, Benedict Wong, Bryan Cranston and Steve Buscemi in a series that gives off some serious Black Mirror vibes. Considering Channel 4's involvement, that appears intentional as the network had great results when they shared Black Mirror with Netflix. Just going off the source material and acting cast announced, it looks like Phillip K. Dick's Electric Dreams is primed to be yet another international hit for the network.

For Anna Paquin, this will be the second major television series she'll be appearing on in 2017. Recently, Paquin was seen on the recently ended Canadian crime drama series Bellevue, where much like Phillip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, she plays a police officer. Paquin's character on Bellevue is tasked with finding a missing transgender teen, while also dealing with a return of a person from her past. Good to hear she has steady work, but I'd love to see Paquin back on a big series stateside again! With rumors swirling about a recasting for Rogue in X-Men, who knows when we'll see her next.

For now, we'll just have to take Anna Paquin's appearance on Phillip K. Dick's Electric Dreams when it lands on Amazon sometime in 2017. With no official date for when that show drops, be sure to busy yourself with a healthy dose of summer shows featured on our summer premiere guide. Also, as the Spring season draws to a close, be sure you're aware of when your favorite shows finales are happening by checking out our guide right here.

Spoilers for Season 1 of Wayward Pines are below.

Broadcast networks aren’t often places where you’ll find shows that are bafflingly weird and wacky, as they’re less likely to take chances on crazier-than-normal series. But Fox stumbled upon a somewhat surprising hit last summer when it unleashed Wayward Pines on audiences, and even though the show ended in a way that made it seem like it would move in a completely new direction with an almost completely new cast, it looks like plenty of cast members will be returning for Season 2, including Empire’s Terrence Howard.

Along with Howard returning as Sheriff Arnold Pope, Wayward Pines is also bringing back major players Carla Gugino as Kate Hewson/Ballinger, Hope Davis as Megan Fisher, Melissa Leo as Nurse Pam, Toby Jones as David Pilcher, Shannyn Sossamon as Theresa Burke and Charlie Tahan as son Ben Burke. As well, we’ll get to see more from Tim Griffin’s Secret Service agent Adam Hassler and Tom Stevens’ Class One leader Jason Higgins, according to Deadline. That’s basically everyone beyond Matt Dillon’s Ethan Burke and Juliette Lewis’ Beverly Brown.

Not a lot of information about Season 2 has come out beyond the new casting additions of Jason Patric and Djimon Hounsou, but we know that things will kick off not long after the bonkers Season 1 ending. Patric comes in as new Wayward Pines resident Dr. Theo Yedlin, who wakes up and finds himself in the middle of a rebellion between the town’s residents and the First Generation of students, and he has to figure out what is going on and how to keep the human race from going extinct.

That’s all fine and dandy, but we want to know how the hell all of these characters are coming back to the show when some of them are deader than dead. Sheriff Pope got shot through the head by Ethan in an early episode and was soon taken outside the town’s fence by some of the monstrous abbies, although he did return in a flashback a few episodes later, and that’s likely how he’ll show up here. The same thing will presumably happen for Dr. Pilcher, who was killed by his sister Pam during the rebellion in the finale. Considering he was the brain behind this entire affair, he’s definitely got more story to tell.

As for everyone else, we last saw Ben being woken from cryostasis by his former school chum Amy into a Wayward Pines that had largely returned to its former ways, despite everything Ethan & Co. attempted to do in Season 1. Theresa, Kate, Hope and Pam were presumably frozen, while Agent Hassler was assumed dead or serverely injured after everyone watched his video transmission from the San Francisco recon trek, which revealed that there was no one left in the coastal city.

Given how many twists and turns were peppered throughout Season 1, I can’t imagine that creator Chad Hodge and executive producer M. Night Shyamalan won’t have an even bigger number of them hitting Season 2. Find out when it premieres on Fox on Wednesday, May 25.

Although most comic book actors typically get to play their roles for as long as they’re required, there have been exceptions. Whether they decide they’ve had enough of the character or found themselves replaced for some reason, old actors leave and new actors take over for the next theatrical installment, and despite looking different, they are, for all intents and purposes, the same character. So that poses a unique question: Who played the better version?

We picked the five biggest examples of casting changes in superhero movies and weighed which of the actors gave the better performance in their respective films. It’s important to note that this list will not judge the differences in performances when it comes to reboots. So don’t expect comparisons between Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Mans, Christopher Reeves and Henry Cavill’s Supermans, etc. The focus will solely be on actors who played the same characters within the same continuity. Let’s take a look!

Sabretooth

Tyler Mane: Sabretooth in 2000’s X-Men was about as one-dimensional a character as you can find. His only job was to unleash his berserker rage whenever directed to by Magneto. When he wasn’t doing that, he just stood around and remained mute, save for a few words. Sure, Mane nailed Sabretooth’s ferocity, but that’s all that was notable. There was nothing of substance with his Sabretooth. The script clearly wanted him to be nothing more than the Brotherhood’s muscle.

Liev Schreiber: Taking aspects from the Origin miniseries, X-Men Origins: Wolverine gave audiences an earlier version of Sabretooth that was a much different beast…so to speak. Aside from having the same abilities and rage as Mane’s version, there were barely any similarities between the two Sabretooths. Schreiber’s version was intelligent, well-spoken, and had a feud with Wolverine that actually made sense. It was a major step up.

Conclusion: While Mane’s Sabertooth certainly looked the part, it was Schreiber who nailed the role and then some. X-Men Origins: Wolverine has a lot of faults, but he was one of the few good things about that movie. His performance was nuanced enough that we’re hoping that he’ll return for Hugh Jackman’s last hurrah as Logan in Wolverine 3 to give us more of the Sabretooth we deserve.

Batman

Michael Keaton: When the 1989 Batman film came out, the only previous live action iterations of the Caped Crusade were the actors that had played him in 1940s film serials and Adam West in the 1960s TV series. So Michael Keaton had free reign to make Batman his own, and he made quite an impression. He was aloof and likable as the public Bruce Wayne, but as Batman he was an intense force that was determined to rid Gotham City of crime. In Batman Returns, he was successful in making Batman even more of a badass while also adding layers of tragedy to the character. How’s that for a comedy actor?

Val Kilmer: When Keaton decided not to do the third Batman film, Val Kilmer was recruited to take his place. While his Bruce Wayne was decent in Batman Forever, he didn’t do much to distinguish his Batman from the previous incarnation of the billionaire playboy. Most of his lines were delivered in a monotonous tone, and his version didn’t feel so much like Batman as a guy desperately wanting to be Batman. Franky, there simply wasn’t anything notable about this iteration of a character.

Conclusion: While Batman Forever gets more hate than it probably deserves, there’s no denying that Michael Keaton did a better job than Val Kilmer. Keaton was more intimidating as the Dark Knight while Kilmer was a weak successor that failed to impress most viewers. At least we can say they both did a better job than George Clooney.

Rachel Dawes

Katie Holmes: Aside from Catwoman and reporter Vicki Vale, Rachel Dawes is arguably Batman’s most well known love interest, which is remarkable given that she wasn’t from the comic books. Katie Holmes originated the character in Batman Begins, where most of her time was spent either critiquing Bruce Wayne for his behavior to sticking her nose into organized crime around Gotham City. While she wasn’t a bad character, Holmes’ performance just seemed a bit too…dry. There wasn’t really anything special about it.

Maggie Gyllenhaal: Gyllenhaal succeeded Holmes for The Dark Knight, and though she didn’t get as much screen time, she impressed, both as a prosecutor and a person. Her chemistry with Bale was better, and she and Harvey Dent made a remarkable couple for the short time they were together. She also seemed to have more attitude than her predecessor, which is helpful in a city where you can get hurt for just picking up a falafel.

Conclusion: Both actresses did a good job playing this original character, and Holmes did get to be in more action scenes. However, we have to give the edge to Gyllenhaal just for being more convincing as Rachel, though admittedly maybe this is because she was the version of Rachel that we associate with Bruce’s loss in the latter half of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Regardless, Gyllenhaal gave the better performance overall.

War Machine

Terrence Howard: For his one Marvel movie stint, Terrence Howard did a good job playing Tony Stark’s buddy James Rhodes, a.k.a. Rhodey. Even though Iron Man didn’t delve into specifics of how they became friends, you could tell that these two are very close, and Howard’s Rhodey had no qualms about calling Tony on when he screwed up. Unfortunately, because his screen time was cut during the final release, we didn’t get to see as much of him as we wanted. Shame…

Don Cheadle: After Terrence Howard was let go from the MCU (we won’t open that can of worms in this piece), Don Cheadle took his place. For the first half of Iron Man 2, Cheadle didn’t feel like the Rhodey we’d met in the first movie, but fortunately that particular problem righted itself in the latter half (like when he and Tony argue about where they should be positioned when Vance’s drones come). By Iron Man 3, the relationship felt like it was back to normal, and by the time we saw him in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it really felt like Cheadle’s Rhodey wasn’t just Tony’s best bud, but also one of the Avengers gang. He made quite an impression.

Conclusion: This comparison would be a lot easier if Howard had been able to become War Machine. As it stands, Howard’s dynamic with Tony Stark felt more genuine, but Cheadle has managed to win (almost) everyone over by now. Frankly, even if Howard had put on the War Machine armor, Cheadle’s Rhodey just feels more heroic, and now it just feels right having him wear the suit. Also, maybe it’s just me, but I feel like Cheadle’s Rhodey is someone you’d have more fun grabbing a beer with than Howard’s.

Bruce Banner

Edward Norton: The Incredible Hulk was the reintroduction of Marvel’s Green Goliath to the big screen five years after Ang Lee’s Hulk. Norton’s performance was satisfactory, but it wasn’t exceptional in any way. He does get kudos for capturing the split personality aspect of Bruce Banner and Hulk well (a.k.a. a modern day Jekyll and Hyde), but that’s about it. During the whole movie it feels like Norton is just going through the motions and doesn’t have his full heart in it. Norton was by no means awful, but he also didn’t shine while wearing Banner’s shoes.

Mark Ruffalo: There’s no denying that Ruffalo’s Hulk feels much different than Norton’s. In fact, if it weren’t for Tony Stark’s appearance in The Incredible Hulk and Bruce Banner mentioning "breaking Harlem" in The Avengers, we’d wonder if they were from separate continuities. The fact is that Ruffalo’s portrayal carried more emotional weight. Yes, he’s realized that he can’t change what’s happened to him, but that still doesn’t stop him from feeling the pain of living with a monster inside of him. It also helps that Ruffalo’s Banner has adopted a lighter attitude about his condition, which is a refreshing change from the constant depression. Honestly, the character is more likable in the role when it’s Ruffalo.

Conclusion: Keep in mind that this isn’t analyzing which of their Hulks were better, but who delivered the better Bruce Banner performance. Even so, this is a tough decision, but we’re going with Ruffalo on this one. He had a good grip on what makes Banner unique while also giving audiences a side of the character that hadn’t been seen on film before. To put it simply, he was more versatile.

As one of the last television season’s biggest surprises, as well as one of the most successful freshman series of all time, Fox’s Empire can basically do anything it wants in Season 2 without the fear of viewers leaving it behind. But it sounds like a lot of that soapy drama will be happening without star Terrence Howard, who may see his role in the show get limited as his personal life and history of domestic abuse is once again overshadowing his career.

If you watched Season1, you saw Howard’s Lucious Lyon get carted off to jail after being arrested in the finale, and he’ll be spending a portion of Season 2 behind bars. And while it was a pretty solid way to end the ratings bonanza, it might not have all been solely as a plot device. Here’s what a PageSix source had to say.

You have probably seen Howard’s name pop up across the Internet recently, as he’s in the middle of a particularly ugly lawsuit filed by ex-wife Michelle Ghent where it’s said he allegedly kicked her, strangled her and threw her against a wall during a trip to Costa Rica back in 2013, the same year they divorced. She’d previously filed multiple restraining orders against the actor after he reportedly physically injured her and repeatedly threatened her, among other things. She’s not the only one who went through such events, as several women over the years have claimed he abused them in the past, including his estranged first wife. (He was arrested in 2001 for several charges after he broke into her home and attacked her.) Making things even weirder is his recent “secret” divorce earlier this month from his third wife Mira Pak, with whom he’d recently had a child.

So what will the show be doing while Lucious is locked up in prison with Chris Rock and Ludacris? Putting Cookie Lyon on top of everything, of course. As one of the breakout characters of the year, Howard’s Hustle & Flow co-star Taraji P. Henson was an absolute delight and was the most watchable member of the talented cast. She will apparently be seen in fewer flashback sequences and will have her “guns blazing” in the present, which is no surprise, since she’s already being considered for a possible spinoff.

There are definitely more guest stars coming to Empire than your normal TV series, so if Howard’s decreased role is legit, it makes sense that they would all be there in a combined effort to not make it obvious that he’s not around as much. Beyond the previously mentioned folks, we’re also going to see Mariah Carey, Pitbull, Lenny Kravitz, Marisa Tomei and Alicia Keys, with hopes that Oprah Winfrey will find her way into the drama at some point. Season 2 of Empire is being split into two nine-episode installments with a midseason hiatus breaking things up, so maybe things will have changed for Howard by 2016.

Either way it goes, tune in for Empire Season 2 when it premieres on Fox on Wednesday, September 23.

You might think it’s easy to get up in front of hundreds of the top actors and filmmakers in Hollywood and present an award at the Oscars. Terrence Howard thought so. But it's not. The star of the hit series Empire saw how everyone who came before him on this year’s Oscar night were reading the prompter and putting their own hilarious spins on it. That’s unfortunately not what happened when it came time for Howard to hit the stage, and we finally have an explanation for this crazy moment.

Howard went on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show Monday night, at which point the SNL vet couldn’t help but ask him about flubbing his presentation. As the actor explains, he was getting a bit cocky. He thought he could one-up everyone else and memorize his lines instead of reading them from the prompter. At one point he even started "clowning" all the other presenters that went up. "Wait until I go up there," he told his wife… and she did. Though Howard did learn his lines -- and though there was a prompter as a safety net -- there were a few factors working against him.

For some reason he wasn’t wearing a belt, which explains why he kept pulling up his pants on the grand stage. Then he was overwhelmed by the stars in attendance. "There’s Oprah," he said. "There’s Quest[love]," who was in stitches as he sat at his drum set listening as Terrence Howard told this story to Jimmy Fallon. He may have started off OK in introducing Whiplash, but by the time he got to The Imitation Game, all his prep went out the window. You can watch Howard explain the whole story on The Tonight Show below.

We all saw this moment, right? Howard went up during the 2015 Oscars to present three of the night’s Best Picture nominees: Whiplash, The Imitation Game and Selma. It might not have been all too clear that he was forgetting his lines, but something was definitely off. His first bit was eloquent and beautifully put, but then his speech devolved into words like "amazing" and "mind-blowing." And then he hit the mic stand, which echoed throughout the entire auditorium and could even be heard at home. "I was like, ‘Maybe nobody noticed.’" We wish that were true. Many people on Twitter started wondering if he was wasted, but this is actually what stage fright mixed with a brain fart looks like in action.

Fox’s dark new drama Empire is so on the nose at times, I’m faintly surprised it wasn’t called TV Series About A Family in the Music Business. Yet despite its numerous shortcomings, Empire has a lot of interesting things happening at once, and essentially functions as a primetime soap opera where you can dance your way through the ham-fisted parts. Plus, it reunites Hustle & Flow stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson for two of the most comically heightened performances of their respective careers. This one is definitely staying on my playlist.

Howard plays the expertly named Lucious Lyon, CEO of Empire Entertainment, a successful record label that Lucious started in the midst of his crime-ridden drug-dealing entry into adulthood. Things are looking up, because Empire is going all public and stock market-y for the first time, only Lucious has been going to the doctor a lot recently, and his diagnosis isn’t good. But the company must go on!

The three Lyon sons are all in the running to take over when Lucious is no longer able to run things. The oldest, Andre (Trai Byers), is the college-educated businessman who knows more about dollar signs than musical notes, and will more than likely do anything to take over. Middle son Jamal (Jussie Smollett) is the non-egotistical musician and songwriter whose destiny as a music mogul is likely nonexistent due to his being gay, something Lucious bullheadedly fails to mentally allow. And then there’s the firecracker rap(per)scallion Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray), whose talent on the mic is the spark in Lucious’ eyes, although his immaturity makes him a risk.

As if Lucious didn’t have enough going on, his ex-wife and the boys’ mother Cookie (Henson) just got out of a long jail stint and wants in on Empire’s success, since it was her money that was used to build it up. You get the sense that all the money in this show was earned somewhat illegally, as Lucious and Cookie’s criminal days are referenced often enough. Because no matter where the narratives branch off to for Andre, Jamal and Hakeem, this is definitely The Howard and Henson Show, right down to their hairdos.

On the positive side, the energy driving Empire is constant, whether it’s because tensions are running mountainously high or because there’s a great hook being played on the soundtrack. (It isn’t surprising that this emotionally bonkers show was developed by Lee Daniels and his Butler screenwriter Danny Strong.) The trouble with any series centering on “hit music” is generally the terrible music, but even though Hakeem’s talents can seem goofy, I enjoyed just about all of the hypothetically radio friendly performances. Though I might have preferred actual live recordings, rather than the super-polished audio tracks delivered here, as produced by Timbaland. (Courtney Love’s rock star guest role should be interesting.)

On the downside, Empire wades through socially regressed waters at times, and it feels a lot more like 1970s writers trying to write futuristic drama, rather than modern brains tackling old school bigotry. There is one flashback scene involving Lucious’ reaction to a young effeminate Jamal that made me howl with awkward laughter, because it just goes there. Cookie’s reaction to Andre’s white wife (Kaitlin Doubleday) is equally cringe-worthy, and Henson’s performance throughout flips between sassy bitch and asshole mom, although she pulls off both accordingly. (She actually says “Cookie’s coming home,” when she gets out of jail, which was weirdly TV-ish.) And for every good song, there’s an equally terrible piece of the musical score where the elasticity of your heartstrings will be tested.

Still, Lucious Lyon’s reign atop the ladder of success will likely be a fun one to watch, even if it runs on as much schmaltz as it does believable drama. Good performances, good tunes and an engaging pair of lead characters give Empire the potential to be a great show, but it’ll need a little more studio polish first.

You can nod your head along to Empire when it premieres on Fox on Wednesday, January 7, at 9 p.m. ET.

Marvel Studios has been on a rather unprecedented run over the last few years, not only creating four $200 million-plus box office hits in the last two and a half years, but receiving consistent critical acclaim doing so. It’s the kind of success that’s actually good for both fans and the industry alike. In Hollywood, however, it always seems that incredible success is eternally paired with controversy.

This past Friday, the comic book movie studio made headlines when it was announced that director Edgar Wright and the company were parting ways after eight years of developing the upcoming blockbuster Ant-Man. An official statement blamed the departure on "creative differences," and while the split was said to be amicable, rumors have emerged saying that Wright decided to leave after Marvel completely rewrote the script that the director had been co-authoring with his writing partner Joe Cornish. The situation has not only opened questions regarding the future of Ant-Man (which needs to go into production soon in order to make its release date next summer), but also Marvel’s relationships with its filmmakers. After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about dramatic conflict between the creatives and the executives, be it about creative control or compensation.

Jon Favreau And Iron Man 2

In the legacy of Marvel Studios film, Iron Man 2 is considered to be one of the weaker links in the chain, and pretty much anyone who has seen it has the same complaint: it simply tries to do too much. The film has many different plot threads to move through and wind up getting shortchanged as a result, from the revenge plot of Whiplash to Tony Stark’s arc reactor-caused palladium poisoning. What many really didn’t like, however, was all the extraneous work being done to set up the franchise to lead into The Avengers. This element not only irked critics and movie-goers, but also director Jon Favreau himself.

A few months prior to the official announcement that Favreau wouldn’t be returning to make Iron Man 3 and a few months after the release of Iron Man 2, we learned from an inside source that the filmmaker was pretty consistently unhappy during the production of the Robert Downey Jr.-starring sequel. Feeling that the movie was rushed into production, Favreau was reportedly upset about moving forward without a fully-realized script and with the amount of studio interference trying to get him to world-build towards The Avengers. Only making matters worse was that Favreau wanted to direct The Avengers himself, but Marvel wasn’t up for paying for him – especially because of the raise he received for directing Iron Man 2.

Ugly as this situation was, it did seem to have a rather amicable resolution. Joss Whedon and Shane Black were hired to make The Avengers and Iron Man 3, respectively, but Favreau stuck around as an executive producer on both and even reprised his supporting role as Happy Hogan in the latter. At San Diego Comic-Con 2012 he was even quoted saying that he "feels like a proud grandfather who doesn’t have to change the diapers."

Terrence Howard And Iron Man 2

As a means of maintaining a cohesive big screen universe that all feels like part of a larger puzzle, Marvel Studios has placed a good deal of importance on keeping actors in specific roles under contract from project to project. This has been accomplished by signing big, multi-picture deals that ensure both stars and supporting players will be ready to work whenever the studio calls on them. Now that Marvel has fully established itself in Hollywood, this system has ended up working out pretty well for them - but in the early-goings things didn’t work quite as smoothly. Take, for example, what happened between the studio and actor Terrence Howard prior to the making of Iron Man 2.

While Howard earned positive marks from critics and fans for his performance as James "Rhody" Rhodes in the first Iron Man, he found himself replaced in the role by Don Cheadle when it came time for Marvel to make the sequel. So what happened? According to Howard, the studio originally paid him $4.5 million to be in the first film, and he signed a contract that said he would get $8 million in the event of a sequel. What he didn’t realize was that the contract wasn’t mutually binding, and when negotiations came around for the sequel Marvel only offered him $1 million. In a more recent interview, the actor said that Robert Downey Jr. didn’t exactly do his part to keep him around either, saying,

Since Iron Man 2, Marvel has been forced to recast other parts – the most notable perhaps being Edward Norton being replaced by Mark Ruffalo as Hulk in The Avengers - but few have been as vocal about their personal situation with the company as Howard has. Needless to say, don’t expect to see him show up in a Marvel movie again.

The Avengers Stars Post-Avengers

It’s now been more than two years since the release of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, and if you look at the all-time box office records you’ll notice that they haven’t changed: the Marvel Studios film remains the third highest-grossing blockbuster of all time, having pulled in $1.5 billion from worldwide ticket sales. That success has only helped buoy the company’s projects since, giving each one a budget boost and an extra healthy dose of expectation. Unfortunately, it also led to the film’s stars wondering if they were actually being fairly compensated for their important roles in the production.

The situation came to a head less than one week after the release of The Avengers when reports surfaced about Robert Downey Jr.’s contract negotiations for both The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3. While the studio was fighting hard to retain its biggest A-lister, it was revealed that the Iron Man lead was paid $50 million for Avengers while some of his co-stars were given as little as $200,000. This, in turn, led to the cast "becoming united behind Robert Downey Jr.," fighting against what they deemed to be unfair treatment and payment from Marvel. Said one source about RDJ,

About a month-and-a-half later, Robert Downey Jr. did eventually sign on for both The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3, and presumably the studio worked out some kind of deal with the rest of the actors that kept everyone content. Still, the conflict did very publically expose that Marvel has a very tight grip on its purse strings, sometimes to the discontent of those on the creative side.

Patty Jenkins And Thor 2

By September 2011, Marvel Studios had already shown a penchant for choosing outside-the-box filmmakers to helm their projects - from the hiring of Kenneth Branagh to make the first Thor to getting Joss Whedon to make The Avengers as only his second feature – but it was at that time they made one of their most interesting moves yet. With a Thor sequel in the works, the company turned to Patty Jenkins, who had not only been away from feature filmmaking for eight years, but would have been the company’s first female director. It seemed like a very progressive move, given that Marvel’s audience is predominantly male, and the idea of a fantasy/superhero movie from the woman who made the Oscar-winning film Monster sounded fascinating. Those of you who saw Thor: The Dark World last year, however, know that the relationship between Jenkins and Marvel didn’t end up working out.

Unlike the situation between Jon Favreau and Marvel, where conflicts were exposed because the production moved forward, there are still only vague details available about exactly what went down between Jenkins and the comic book company. About two months after she had been hired, the director and the studio parted ways over what was again called "creative differences." Sadly, rumors after-the-fact haven’t really cleared up exactly what went wrong, as some said that Jenkins didn’t have a firm grasp on what she wanted to do, while others insider sources claim that Marvel wasn’t happy about her very specific vision.

Game of Thrones’ Alan Taylor wound up helming Thor: The Dark World, which ended up getting a solid critical reaction and was a box office hit, but one unexpected area where the Patty Jenkins split may affect the future of Marvel is in the company’s dealings with Natalie Portman, who plays Jane Foster in the Thor movies. The Oscar-winning actress reportedly had a big hand in Jenkins being chosen to direct the project in the first place, and wanted the studio to hire a woman filmmaker for the project – which didn’t end up happening. We still don’t know who is going to helm Thor 3, so perhaps Marvel still has time to make it up to her.

With recent pickup Gotham, Fox is tying into their audience’s love for Batman, and with Gang Related, they’re tying into people’s love for The Departed. The upcoming hip-hop-centered drama Empire, for which the network put in a full series order, is apparently Fox's way of feeding upon America’s untapped interest in an unofficial sequel to Craig Brewer’s 2005 drama Hustle & Flow. And I tell you what, it’s been hard out here for those of us who have been waiting so long (i.e. pimps.)

With its initial 13-episode season, Empire will be the first trip into television for Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels, who developed the series his co-screenwriter on last year’s Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Danny Strong, most recently seen on FX’s Justified as a total douche of a prison guard. Strong, who also co-wrote both entries of The Hunger Games: Mockingbird, has written the pilot, which Daniels is set to direct. No word on whether or not either will stick to those duties for future episodes.

Terrance Howard, who worked with Daniels in The Butler, will star as Lucious Lyon, the street-tough head of music label Empire Entertainment, which he rules over with a charismatic fist. He is about to take the company public, which will add untold amounts of pressure to his life, and he’ll face it all head-on in defense of his beloved creation. Also starring with Howard is Hustle & Flow co-star Taraji P. Henson, who will play his ex-wife and former business partner Cookie, as well as Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Jussie Smollett (The Mighty Ducks), Kaitlin Doubleday (Dragon Warriors), Trai Byers (90210), Malik Yoba (Alphas), Tasha Smith (For Better or Worse) and Grace Gealey.

On top of its talented cast and creative team, Empire will also feature a major musical presence. The soundtrack will be put together by the Grammy-winning producer TImbaland, and should include both original music and current pop tracks, plus covers. But will any of it create the award-winning waves of Hustle & Flow’s signature track “Hard Out Here for a Pimp?”

According to EW, Fox also ordered the coming-of-age series Red Band Society, executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment. It will follow a group of teenagers living in a big city hospital, all of whom become unlikely friends, with Octavia Spencer starring as the main nurse.

Fox hasn’t announced when they’ll be going into production on either show, but expect something soon with the fall season coming up in just a few months. I wonder if Daniels cleared things with Universal over their 2002 thriller Empire, lest we sit down to watch Lee Daniel’s Empire later in the year.

I don’t know if you know this, but Twitter hates pretty much everything. Seriously. Think of something random that you love. Go to the search bar and type it in. I guarantee you’ll quickly find someone bitching about it. Football? check. New York style pizza? Check. If it exists, there are probably people out there bitching about it right now, which is why it’s with complete and utter shock that I tell you I just looked at a thousand or so Best Man Holiday tweets, and I couldn’t find any of them that were negative. None.

Now, I’m sure somewhere, in some depressing, hateful corner of Twitter, there are a few assholes complaining about the film, but I cannot find any of them. Instead, what I can easily find are thousands and thousands of people flocking to the social media service at an incredible rate to rave about a film they absolutely loved.

Seriously, let’s take a look at some of these tweets. I’ve gone ahead and broken them down by category...

General Praise

Shock At How Emotionally Touching It Is

Over The Top Praise

You can spend money on advertising. You can't buy over-the-top reaction like this. I'm not sure I've ever seen a film hit home with a higher percentage of its target demographic than this one (maybe The Dark Knight), and given all the positivity, it wouldn't surprise me if the movie started pulling in solid grosses with the rest of the population, as well. Either way, The Best Man Holiday is a massive, gigantic hit that may top thirty million this weekend, as per Deadline's estimate.

Cinema Blend's sincerest congratulations go out to director Malcolm Lee and everyone else involved in the film. If you're looking for something to do tonight, clearly this is the right activity.

You don't even have to follow Hollywood gossip to know that something went down between Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Terrence Howard. The actor was cast as James "Rhodey" Rhodes for 2008's Iron Man, fresh off an Oscar nomination for Hustle & Flow and seeming like the obvious choice for this high-profile, future superhero role. Then Howard was left behind when it came time to make Iron Man 2, and from the very beginning he hasn't been shy about explaining why; talking to NPR in October of 2008 he had this to say:

Reuniting with the cast of The Best Man for this weekend's comedy The Best Man Holiday, you'd think Howard might be in better spirits, but appearing on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live (via Vulture), he pulled out the knives yet again, and this time aimed them at Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr.:

Wowza! Now, we all know that Downey is paid extremely handsomely to play Iron Man, and that Marvel is notorious for playing crazy hardball with pretty much all of its other actors, and it's completely believable that Howard's departure happened the exact way he said it happened on Bravo last night:

I have no idea how Hollywood contracts work and if it's at all legal to just backtrack on somebody like that, but Howard clearly has reasons to still be bitter after all these years (and not just because Don Cheadle did a pretty great job of taking his place). Since he walked away from one-eighth of that Iron Man money Howard has kept reasonably busy, popping up in everything from this fall's gritty crime drama Prisoners to Lee Daniels' The Butler, in which he seduces Oprah Winfrey. That's not a bad fate for any working actor, but it's probably hard to go from the peak of an Oscar nomination and a superhero franchise to anything else-- especially if you think your old friend managed to take some of your money in the process.

Not every Academy Award-nominated actor can have a career where every role is as esteemed as the last one, but I kind of expected the highly talented Thomas Haden Church and Terrence Howard to be some of the giants whose shoulders young actors stood on. Instead, they only seem to make a critically-acclaimed flick every few years, filling the time between them with sappy dramas, corny comedies or lame thrillers. Variety reports Church and Howard have joined Cardboard Boxer, the indie drama serving as the directorial debut from Jackass cameraman and producer Knate Gwaltney, and I’ll leave it up to you guys to guess how this latest one will pan out.

The new film centers on a homeless man in L.A.’s Skid Row who soon becomes the focus of a group of rich, douchey teens who get their kicks by paying poor people to get into fights. Given Gwaltney’s past, I’m surprised this movie wasn’t simply called Bum Battles 3D. Howard and Church join a cast that already includes Boyd Holbrook (Hatfields and McCoys), Rhys Wakefield (The Purge), and musician Macy Gray. Gwaltney also wrote the script.

In the years since his standout role in Alexander Payne’s Sideways, Church has flipped from overproduced crap like Spider-Man 3 to overproduced non-crap like John Carter, occasionally finding a film to shine in, like William Friedkin’s awesome 2011 crime thriller Killer Joe. Most recently, he can be seen in Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais’ debut drama Whitewash, and opposite Toni Collette in Megan Griffiths’ Lucky Them.

Howard, meanwhile, has already filled 2013 with a varied assortment of performances. He gave a formidable supporting performance in Denis Villeneuve’s deservedly Oscar-hyped Prisoners as well as in the less deservedly Oscar-hyped Lee Daniels’ The Butler. He also starred in Niels Arden Oplev’s decent crime drama Dead Man Down earlier this year, which is well worth the watch. On the flip side of that were his appearance in the awful sketch comedy Movie 43 and Alex Merkin’s thriller/horror House of Bodies. To be expected, he’s got a ton of stuff in the pipeline, including M. Night Shyamalan’s series Wayward Pines and the modernized Shakespeare adaptation Macbeth. He’ll also star opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in David Ayers’ actioner Sabotage, Theodore Melfi’s oddball comedy St. Vincent De Van Nuys and Jennifer Elster’s incredibly intriguing mystery The Being Experience. Seeing as how those aren’t even all of his upcoming projects, one has to wonder when he has time to breathe.

There’s no telling when this film will kick into production, but if you happen to see two homeless men going at it in the street, keep an eye out for cameras.

Go watch Prisoners now if you want to see the best thing Howard’s done in a while, and watch the preview below to get you more in the mood.

Casting is a tricky process, even more so when you're talking multiple-picture deals for an aspiring franchise. When superhero movies began booming again, Terrence Howard seemed poised to stick with the Iron Man movies, having deftly played Tony Stark's oft-conflicted, ever-stern friend Rhodey in the first film. But when casting news came out on Iron Man 2, we were shocked to learn Howard had been ousted in favor or Don Cheadle. (Who we love, so it was a confusing time!)

And we weren't alone. At the time, Howard described the move as "the surprise of a lifetime," revealing he'd heard about the change-up through the press, not a call from Marvel Entertainment. Ouch. You'd think after that he'd have an axe to grind, but while promoting his new movie Dead Man Down on the radio show Sway in the Morning (via Total Film), he was pretty forthcoming and surprisingly not bitter.

Howard claims Cheadle was always the studio's first choice, so when it came time to cast Iron Man 2, they basically offered Howard a deal he could refuse. Paid $4.5 million for the first film, his contract suggested he'd get $8 for a sequel. However, he explains, “The second time, [the studio] said, 'We think the movie will be successful with or without you. So, instead of the $8m that we said we were gonna' pay you, we're going to let you come back for a million dollars.'"

Having signed a three-picture deal, Howard thought he was guaranteed a part in the next two Iron Man movies, but he admits:

So, don’t worry about Howard. He's good. Better than good. He's making diamonds, which beyond being incredible sounds like something that would work into an act of an Iron Man movie. And he harbors no hard feelings toward Cheadle either, saying, "Really, initially they wanted Don in that role, but my agent pushed me in. So I never had any beef with Don about it." Dead Man Down is now in theaters.

You can see the interview in full below: (Jump to around 3:46 for the Iron Man section.)

As one of the universally agreed-upon bright spots of Ridley Scott's Prometheus, and of course as the unforgettable Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films, Noomi Rapace is very much on her way up, and could easily be a good role away from being the new Marion Cotillard-- a foreign actress to become an A-lister in the States. She may be hoping the trick to getting there is a reunion with her Dragon Tattoo director Niels Arden Oplev, for their first English-language collaboration Dead Man Down. Get your first look at it in the new trailer below.

Aside from the undeniably up-and-coming Rapace, the rest of the cast seems to be people who could use a break-- Colin Farrell primary among them, after last summer's disappointing Total Recall remake. Terrence Howard has also been on a bad run since his Oscar-nominated work in Hustle and Flow, and there's even Dominic Cooper in there somewhere, having popped up in Abraham LIncoln: Vampire Hunter last year and never seeming to get the kind of work he deserves.

Let's be honest: Dead Man Down looks more like a straightforward thriller than an acting showcase, and it's unlikely any of this cast will show us something here that surprises us. But the movie also looks stylish and intriguing, and though the story about a mysterious woman hiring a hit man is as old as time, it has stuck around because it works. Dead Man Down comes to theaters March 8, opposite the Tina Fey comedy Admission and the Sam Raimi mega-fantasy Oz: The Great And Powerful.

Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve first drew the eye of the world with his staggering 2010 drama Incendies. The film was nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA and César for Best Foreign Film, and won a slew of Genie Awards, which recognize the best of Canadian cinema. With his follow-up, An Enemy, the rising auteur pulled together an international cast that includes American star Jake Gyllenhaal, French ingénue Melanie Laurent, and Italian screen legend Isabella Rossellini. But with that film now in the can, Villeneuve's been culling together an even more intriguing ensemble for his next venture, Prisoners.

The Pennsylvania-set thriller centers on Keller Dover, a father whose life is thrown into spin when his young daughter and her best friend go missing. Not content to leave the police to find them, Dover tirelessly pursues his own search, which leads to conflict with the hotshot detective assigned to the case. Deadline reports Terrence Howard has just signed on to the feature, penned by Contraband scribe Aaron Guzikowski. The Red Tails star joins a cast that boasts such heavy-hitters as Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano.

From previous reports, we know Jackman will front the film as Dover. Gyllenhaal will portray the aforementioned arrogant cop, and Maria Bello will play Mrs. Dover. It's unknown what roles the rest of this promising ensemble will play. However, with this blend of talent, Prisoners is already a project worth watching out for. And as principal photography slated to begin in February, we shouldn't have to wait long. Prisoners is poised to hit theaters by fall of 2013.

Rapper T.I. might be trying to mix crime with politics with a city government position on Boss’ second season, but for his newest gig, he’ll be getting his hands dirty more overtly. The rapper has been hired to play a young man involved with a crime syndicate in an upcoming episode of the popular CBS crime drama, Hawaii Five-0. More interestingly, the role will involve the actor in a case from Danny's past.

T.I. is headed over to Hawaii Five-0 in October, where he will guest star in a special episode of the beach-oriented procedural. TV Line is reporting that in the episode T.I. will be joined by Iron Man’s Terrence Howard, who will also be involved with the crime syndicate. The episode will mostly be set in 2001, where Danny will be investigating the criminal crew with his former partner in New Jersey. T.I. and Howard’s involvement in the case will be told through a series of flashbacks.

Some earlier episodes have shown us Danny’s former Newark police partner was corrupt, but the series has not really had a chance to fully flesh out what this has meant for Danny. Undoubtedly, Hawaii Five-0 is looking to give us some more hints about Danny’s life before he moved to Hawaii to be nearer his daughter. I’m almost as excited to see what the flashback episode illuminates as I am to see how T.I. does in a role opposite a big name like Howard.

This episode is clearly going to be a doozy, and if none of the former information impressed you, TV Line is also noting one of the famous younger daughters in the Kardashian clan, Kendall Jenner, will also appear in the episode. It might be worth tuning in to see if the youngster has an acting bone in her body, although I'm willing to bet the guest star won't really hold a candle to her competition.

Season 3 of the hit CBS procedural premieres on September 24 at 9 p.m. ET.

David Ayer has a number of notable credits to his name, among them the screenplays for The Fast and the Furious, Training Day and coming soon, End of Watch, a crime drama headed into theaters this fall, which he's also directing. Beyond that is Breacher (or otherwise titled Ten), a film Ayer is set to direct based on a screenplay by Skip Woods. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington are on board to star.

The action thriller will follow 10 DEA agents who pull off a heist during an enforcement operation and afterward, begin dying one by one. According to THR, Terrence Howard and Dawn Olivieri are in talks to join the cast as two of the mentioned DEA agents. Not only are their characters engaged in an affair, but they're also conspiring to steal the stolen goods. Something tells me things aren't going to go as planned, unless there's some kind of back-story that justifies their thievery and back-stabbery, and they're able to escape who ever it is that's picking off their fellow DEA agents (assuming it isn't one or both of them).

It seems almost fitting that Dawn Olivieri and Terrance Howard should be linked in a project together when considering their previous roles. Maybe that's because the last time I saw Olivieri, she was playing the recurring role of Monica opposite Don Cheadle in Showtime's series House of Lies. Cheadle and Howard are linked in more ways than one, the most recent of which has Cheadle taking over the role of Rhodey for the Iron Man sequel after Howard played the part in the first film. And he and Howard were both in Crash. There's also a sort of random link to David E. Kelley's Picket Fences. Stretching it even further (and this one's a stretch), Olivieri voiced the role of Pepper Potts in the TV series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, which gives her an Iron Man connection.

Needless to say, there are already less than six degrees from Olivieri to Howard. And now, assuming negotiations work out for both of them, we should expect to see them on screen together in Breacher.

Andrew Levitas is a man of many talents. A heralded painter and sculptor, he's also dabbled in TV acting and now is preparing to direct his first feature, Lullaby. The ensemble drama also marks Levitas's first produced screenplay, but despite his newcomer status to this field the modern Renaissance Man has already secured an impressive cast.

Deadline reveals Garrett Hedlund, Amy Adams, Richard Jenkins, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard have already signed on to star in Lullaby. Hedlund, who has been scoring an array of high-profile projects including the Cannes selection On the Road and the upcoming Coen Bros' drama Inside Llewyn Davis, will lead the film, which will follow his character's reunion with his estranged father following news that the latter is on his death bed. Jenkins will play the patriarch who has elected to go off of life support, and will likely die in the next 48 hours. At this point little else is known about the film's plot or how the rest of the cast factors in, but with so many heavy-hitters in its ranks, Lullaby is looking promising.

Hedlund's a leading man on the rise, while Jenkins is a character actor with a remarkable range who is utterly beloved by critics. Of course, Amy Adams is always an asset, carrying with the dizzying title "three-time Academy Award nominee." Findlay is one to watch in the wake of becoming a fan favorite on the phenomenon that is Downton Abbey. Howard is sure to bring intensity to the proceedings, and hopefully the feature's musical title will mean Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls, will lend not only her acting abilities to Lullaby but also her incredible song stylings.

Ananta Productions and Avenue Pictures are producing the feature, which is slated to begin shooting in New York in June.

Next year Sam Worthington will star as Nick Cassidy, a former cop who threatens suicide as he stands on the edge of the roof atop a Manhattan hotel. The trailer for that movie, however, is not the one you will see below. That movie will be called Man on a Ledge, while this one is simply The Ledge. Who knew that suicide jumpers were so in nowadays?

Premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Charlie Hunnam stars as Gavin, a man stuck on a ledge and ready to jump. When confronted by a police officer (Terrence Howard) trying to talk him down, he explains that he is not there by choice. After having an affair with the wife (Liv Tyler) of a fundamentalist (Patrick Wilson), he is faced with either killing himself, or letting her die.

Check out the trailer below or in HD over on Yahoo!

UPDATE: Apparently dreams may actually come true. Via the actor's Twitter account, Mustafa has announced that he is going to Marvel headquarters in New York today for a meet-and-greet. Obviously this doesn't mean that he's going to be Luke Cage by the end of the day, but it's quite obvious that Marvel has seen this story blow up.

Actor Isaiah Mustafa has found near-instant fame as "The Old Spice Guy," the star of the visually spectacular commercials who encourages ladies to make their men smell like him. You know him; he's the "I'm on a horse" guy. He's already been cast in Tyler Perry's next film but he's pursuing even bigger Hollywood fame. Yes, Isaiah Mustafa wants to be a superhero.

Luke Cage, specifically, which isn't surprising given that Cage is one of the few blacks superheroes out there. Talking on Attack of the Show about the newest Old Spice commercial (do yourself a favor and watch it here), Mustafa both revealed the secrets of how they pulled it off and confessed to his Luke Cage dreams. At least he was more honest about it than most cagey actors:

Of course, Mustafa isn't the first actor to openly campaign for the part-- Tyrese Gibson has been talking about it for years and the most recent rumor had Terrence Howard in talks for the role. Mustafa isn't as famous as either of those actors, but maybe he'd be a better choice for it-- after all, casting unknowns to play superheroes is popular right now. Check out the video of Mustafa below (it starts around the 7 minute mark) and see if his enthusiasm is enough that you'd cast him.

Video Game - E3 2010 - Movies and TV

About a week ago we picked up on yet another new rumor about a potential Luke Cage movie over at Marvel, where apparently a "notable Hollywood star" was in preliminary talks to play one of the few black heroes in the comic book universe. Now, as if on cue, Terrence Howard is over at Cannes talking to E! Online, and cryptically hinting that "Marvel and I are now talking about doing some other things."

Of course the main topic of the conversation was Iron Man 2 and the fact that Howard isn't in it, having been replaced by Don Cheadle for the sequel. Whether because he's preserving his pride or because he wants to stay on good terms with the studio, Howard put on a brave face, claiming "It was a wonderful split and I know that they've done well." Of course it makes a lot more sense for Howard to be glossing over the split if Marvel is courting him to play Luke Cage. I'll defer to our resident comic book expert Eric on whether or not Howard would be good for the role, but I wouldn't mind seeing him return to the Marvel universe-- no offense to Cheadle, but there was some kind of spark missing in his take on Rhodey.

Then again, Howard could also be talking to Marvel about playing a bit part in Captain America-- no one really knows. But it's much more fun to speculate that he'll be playing a superhero, so we'll stick with that one for now.

When Morgan Freeman played Nelson Mandela in Invictus, it was the world's most obvious casting, and made the movie worth watching even though it was a huge snore. Freeman put his stamp on the role simply by looking so damn much like Mandela, and it was hard to imagine anyone else tackling the role-- much less happening less than a year later.

Terrence Howard, then, is one very brave man. THR reports that he's signed on to play Mandela in Winnie, a biopic focusing on Mandela's controversial wife who will be played by Jennifer Hudson. The small-scale drama-- it's being made for just $15 million-- starts filming in South Africa at the end of this month, and will be directed by Darrell Roodt, a South African director whose work hasn't gotten too noticed on these shores. Casting major Hollywood actors should change that right quick.

The Mandela Howard will play will inevitably be a different one from Freeman's incarnation, as Winnie will likely be set in the very early years of Mandela's career, before he was imprisoned on Robben Island. Winnie married Nelson in 1958, and worked as an activist against the apartheid government while her husband was imprisoned. Not long after his release, though, the two separated due to her infidelity. Hudson's role is bound to be more challenging than Howard's, but hopefully playing saintly Mandela will give Howard the chance to show off his actual acting talent, which he hasn't done much of since that 2005 Hustle and Flow Oscar nomination. He and Hudson are both in need of a career boost; is this team-up exactly what they both need?

Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson are two actors I tend to love despite myself. They don't exactly make consistent choices-- I will never forget Wilson's sex scene as Nite Owl in Watchmen, nor the animal crackers scene in Armageddon-- but they always manage to stay likeable despite themselves. Hopefully they'll continue that charming streak in The Ledge, a new psychological indie thriller the two have signed on to star in, alongside Terrence Howard and Charlie Hunnam. Hunnam will play a man preparing to jump off a high ledge, with Howard as the cop trying to talk him out of it.

The film's director Matthew Chapman told THR, "The Ledge examines the different and sometimes dangerous beliefs people adopt as a means of surviving emotional trauma." Producer Mailer added in a jab at a certain glasses-requiring movie technology: "As more and more films succumb to the visual wizardry of 3D, The Ledge explores the fourth dimension: the interior life of tortured souls hovering over the precipice of emotional nullity. This film is the reason why I became an independent filmmaker and why I continue to suffer in the trenches of independent filmmaking."

Life may go on for Don Cheadle as War Machine, but not in his own movie. In the comics Cheadle’s character, James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, suits up and steps in when Tony Stark falls victim to alcoholism. Despite speculation that War Machine could get a spin-off, Cheadle confirmed that this is not the case.

Back in January, Bob Layton, the co-creator of the Rhodey character, told MTV, “If they’re doing the Avengers film, they always have the option of using War Machine instead of Iron Man depending upon what happens contractually. I’m just speculating, I have no idea.” But more recently, Cheadle told Wizard Magazine (via Digital Spy), "People have asked, but no one [in authority] has mentioned it as something that's happening. Hopefully, if this one does well, there'll be another [Iron Man movie] with the same people. But there won't be a [War Machine] spin-off."

Does this really mean a War Machine movie is out of the question? I doubt it. Odds are, if Iron Man 2 is a massive success no expansion avenue will go ignored. Whether War Machine happens or not, the idea will be revisited sometime after Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7th.

In the interview Cheadle also touched on the sensitive issue of replacing the original Rhodey, Terrence Howard. “My first and only hesitation was about Terrence, because he is a friend. I wasn't going to do it until after he said he wasn't taking it. But, y'know, it's a short list. If you're on it, and you say no, they're on to the next guy." Gee, what a nice guy.