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Samuel Jackson says talks have stalled

The latest news making the rounds today is that Samuel L. Jackson might be dropped from the upcoming Marvel Studios films Iron Man 2, Captain America and The Avengers. Jackson, who first appeared as Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man, tells LA Times’ Hero Complex:

“I saw ['Iron Man' and 'Iron Man 2' director] Jon Favreau at the Scream Awards and we had a conversation. He said, ‘I hope things are working out for you because we’re writing stuff for you.’ Then all of a sudden last week I talked to my agents and manager and things aren’t really working that well.”

…

“There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don’t know. Maybe I won’t be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won’t be in it. There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so [they're saying to me], ‘We’re not making that deal.’”

Dropping Jackson from the Marvel franchise would be yet another notch in a string of money-related rumors and reports about the studio. Terrence Howard was let go from Iron Man 2 due to undisclosed reasons, though there’s conjecture that his initial paycheck was too big to match for the sequel. Jim ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes will instead be played by Don Cheadle. There were also rumors that Jon Favreau would not be asked to return for Iron Man 2 for similar money-related reasons. Luckily, that never panned out.

Man, it’s hard to imagine SLJ not kicking it as Nick Fury in the Marvel films. The interconnectivity of these movies is what sets Marvel apart from DC’s filmography. Having Tony Stark in Incredible Hulk and both Fury and Captain America’s shield in Iron Man paved the way for an actual Marvel Universe on the big screen. That’s the stuff of legend! Fans have been dreaming of this type of thing for decades, and now that it’s finally starting to culminate towards The Avengers, the plug gets pulled?

C’mon, Marvel. Don’t spit on the people who handed you the multi-million dollar paychecks you got from Iron Man this summer. That’s something we might expect from Fox, but not from you.

Hey, while we’re making suggestions: Sam Rockwell in Iron Man 2… do that, definitely, awesome, but as a villain? No, no, no! Wrangle him in as Hank Pym, get him geared up for The Avengers, and by the time that’s over with, moviegoers will be ready for an Ant-Man movie. Bingo-bongo-boom. (This suggestion courtesy of the great Jim Gibbons over at The Loudest Monkey.)

He loves you. And so do I.