Latest news with #DonCheadle
Geek Tyrant
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Marvel's ARMOR WARS Reportedly May Be Dead, but There Are Possible Plot Details — GeekTyrant
Marvel's long gestating Armor Wars project might have finally flatlined. At least, that's what the latest industry chatter suggests. Originally revealed as a Disney+ series back in 2020, Armor Wars was later upgraded to a feature film in 2022 with Don Cheadle set to lead as James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, aka War Machine. Since then we haven't heard much, but now, according to new intel from scooper Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus, it's looking like the project may never see the light of day. When asked if Armor Wars was definitively scrapped or just stalled, Perez responded: 'Many of the ideas for Armor Wars were transferred to other projects. The main one is VisionQuest with Ultron, but there are others, such as Wonder Man which will also delve into the DODC as they investigate Simon Williams. 'The one thing I think that won't be repurposed into another show, and which we may sadly miss, is Rhodey's arc from the events of Secret Invasion and how Rhodey copes with many of the events that have happened in the MCU since Raava replaced him.' While, the storylines intended for Armor Wars aren't disappearing, they're being reallocated to other projects that are still moving forward. Perez also shared some context on Rhodey's original arc, which might have offered a deeper, more personal chapter for the character: 'The original idea, as I understand it, was to have been replaced at some point between the events of Avengers: Endgame & The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 'There were talks at one point about setting it as far back as Captain America: Civil War, but a massive online backlash against that idea led to the decision to set it later in the timeline. 'There was also the idea of exploring the legacy of Tony Stark and the ramifications the character had among his closest friends and family. So, we would have seen the return of Pepper Potts and Morgan Stark.' Armor Wars would have also brought back key emotional ties to Tony Stark, something many fans have been wanting to see more of post-Endgame. It's a shame we may never get to see that. So what happens now? VisionQuest is still in development, and Wonder Man is expected to debut later this year. Meanwhile, there's no official cancellation announcement for Armor Wars, so technically, it's still on the books. But, we'll just have to see how that all plays out. I would actually like to see this Armor Wars movie get made to see how Rhodey deals with the aftermath of the events of Secret Invasion, which was the most interesting part of the series.
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
'Thunderbolts' Cast Has Shocking Pick for Which Avenger They Need to Recruit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors What Marvel character who isn't in the Thunderbolts belongs on the team? That's what DiscussingFilm asked the cast during an interview. After briefly humoring the idea of Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm/The Thing, a consensus was reached: Don Cheadle's James Rhodes/War Machine, they said, would make for a perfect fit. You can see them discussing it below. The cast of 'THUNDERBOLTS*' tell us which MCU character they'd like to add to the team: 'Don Cheadle! He seems like cranky enough! We're gonna go with Don Cheadle/War Machine!' — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 29, 2025 Read More: 'Superman' Releases New Look at Classic DC Superhero "Cheadle, maybe?" Wyatt Russell says. "Oh, Cheadle would be great," David Harbour answers. "Cheadle would be amazing," Hannah John-Kamen agrees. "He seems like cranky enough," Harbour says. "We're gonna go with Don Cheadle/War Machine. Don, if you're avail." Promotional image for "Thunderbolts*" Promotional image for "Thunderbolts*" DISNEY The cast members seem to have a lot of fun choosing Don Cheadle, but he honestly wouldn't be a bad choice. He has a military background like most of the Thunderbolts, and while he's no former assassin like Yelena or Bucky, he is the first person in "Avengers: Endgame" to suggest the dark course of finding baby Thanos and murdering him. There would also be plenty of potential for unresolved issues that Rhodey has, including those about being wounded during the events of "Captain America: Civil War" and the death of Tony Stark. He'd also lend what seems like some much-needed muscle to the Thunderbolts. Along with his suit's arsenal of weaponry, he can fly, and his suit gives him super strength. Unfortunately, the truth is that it may be a while before Marvel fans get to see Cheadle return to the role of War Machine. Cheadle's name was missing from the long list of stars named as part of the cast for next year's "Avengers: Doomsday". Cheadle was going to lead his own film, "Armor Wars", but development on that seems to have hit some roadblocks. To be fair, Kevin Feige has said more names are going to be added to the cast list of "Avengers: Doomsday", so it could be that War Machine will make an appearance. When it comes to Marvel, Cheadle last appeared in a supporting role in "Secret Invasion" - and played a Skrull disguised as Rhodey for most of that series - and before that in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier". "Thunderbolts*" hits theaters May 2, 2025. The film is directed by Jake Schreier and stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Edward Price, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. More Comics: 'Thunderbolts' Early Reviews Overwhelmingly One-Sided Blade Reboot Costume Designer Confirms Wildest Theory About Failed Film
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Conflict in Congo
Rebels backed by Rwanda are seizing huge tracts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their progress has been swift and stunning. In a month, they have routed Congo's underequipped army several times and caused more than half a million people to flee. On Monday, they captured Goma, a major Congolese city along the Rwandan border. (They grabbed it once before, in 2012.) I've been talking to Goma residents. They've been hiding in their houses for the past week without electricity or running water. Gunfire, and occasionally bombs, explode around them. Some of them took in families who had fled from camps and villages outside the city. But plenty of those displaced people arrived in Goma knowing nobody. Why are the rebels, known as M23, grabbing parts of eastern Congo? In their telling, they're protecting ethnic Tutsis, the minority group massacred in a 1994 genocide, some of whom also live in Congo. But experts say the real reason is Congo's rare minerals, which power our phones and devices. Congo's mines are making the rebels — and their patrons in Rwanda — rich. The United States and China are competing for such minerals, and the rebels could make access uncertain. In today's newsletter, I'll explain what's at stake in the rebels' advance — and why they may be hard to stop. The minerals in your phone You might be familiar with Rwanda from the film 'Hotel Rwanda,' starring Don Cheadle. In 1994, members of the Hutu ethnic majority killed an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis. After a revolt overthrew the Hutu extremists who oversaw the genocide, many of the culprits fled to Congo. Rwanda says they continued attacking the country from across the border, but those salvos ended decades ago. You might not know much about Congo. But you could be holding a piece of it right now, inside the phone on which you're reading this. The country is full of the minerals used to make our electronics. And everyone wants a piece: Washington and Beijing have been vying for access to minerals like copper and cobalt. Elon Musk gets most of the cobalt in Tesla's batteries from a Congolese mine. Rwanda's rebels are seizing land with rare minerals like these. For years, they've profited from Congo's mineral wealth, studies show. Lately, U.N. experts say, they're taking in $800,000 per month from mines they seized containing coltan, an ore used in smartphones. Africa's world war What's at stake, experts warn, is a larger regional war. The United Nations says up to 4,000 Rwandan troops support M23 in Congo. (Rwanda denies this.) Burundi has sent 2,000 troops to defend Goma against the rebels. South Africa sent troops to fight with a U.N. force alongside the Congolese Army. Around the turn of the century, the Great Lakes region of Africa was at the center of a regional war that raged for five years. Several countries sent soldiers, and millions of people died. The current battle, too, seems likely to extend beyond eastern Congo. It may not go as far as Kinshasa, the capital nearly 1,000 miles away, but that is what the rebels have vowed. A few African leaders have lately tried to sort this mess out. Kenya's president invited the Congolese and Rwandan presidents for talks on Wednesday, but Congo's president didn't show up. In December, Angola's president was set to hold peace talks, but Rwanda's president pulled out at the last minute. All mouth, no money? The world's powerful countries have condemned Rwanda for supporting the M23. Yesterday, France called on Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Congo. The new U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, held a genial call with Congo's president and a tense one with Rwanda's, in which he said he was 'deeply troubled' by the escalation. Back in 2013, after M23 took Goma the first time, Western countries threatened Rwanda with sanctions, and it cut the rebels off. Eventually, Congolese and U.N. forces defeated the rebels. This time, it's unclear how far big countries will go — or whether the flurry of diplomatic statements will change anything. Rwanda, a country very dependent on aid, has worked to make itself useful internationally. It supplies U.N. peacekeepers to dangerous missions elsewhere in Africa. It has offered to take in asylum seekers whom European countries turn away. It sent troops to fight a jihadist insurgency in Mozambique. It channels foreign aid into impressive economic growth, making it a darling of donors. Another wrinkle is that President Trump has suspended almost all foreign aid, including to Rwanda, so he has less leverage to use on its president. That all may earn Rwanda a pass as its patron countries do little to stop it. Related: Trump's order to halt most foreign aid has intensified humanitarian crises and raised questions about Washington's reliability as a global leader. Potomac Crash Kash Patel Hearing Tulsi Gabbard Hearing More on Hearings More on Trump International Other Big Stories Opinions 'America's not an idea. It's a country with a border': Steve Bannon discussed immigration, Trump and the so-called tech right with Ross Douthat. Meghan Daum considered self-reliance a virtue until her home in Altadena, Calif., burned down. Allowing people to help is, in its own way, an act of service, she writes. Here are columns by David Brooks on Trump's spending freeze, and Lydia Polgreen on mass migration. Crustacean invasion: Crabs from Europe and Asia have taken over New England. Luckily, they're delicious. Young Luddites: Meet the college kids sticking to flip phones. Weddings: Couples are restructuring their registries and celebrations to support charitable causes. Space rock: Astronomers are keeping an eye on this asteroid's odds of hitting Earth. Ask the Therapist: 'My boyfriend lacks ambition. Is that a deal breaker?' Lives Lived: Dick Button's passionate and often tart commentary on figure skating competitions became a television staple over six decades and made him the sport's unofficial spokesman. He died at 95. N.F.L.: Six massage therapists accused the Ravens kicker Justin Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior, according to an investigation by The Baltimore Banner. N.B.A.: Federal officials are investigating the Heat guard Terry Rozier over an illegal gambling operation in 2023. After 17,800 shows and 82,150 gallons of paint, Blue Man Group is coming to an end in New York. The show ran for 34 years. It gave Fred Armisen a drumming gig and 'Arrested Development' a hilarious story line. Read about the group. More on culture Make a gumbo. Watch these movies and shows before they leave Netflix in February. Clean your garbage disposal. Take our news quiz. Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was dizzyingly. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@
