Marvel Studios has altered its upcoming slate a tad. Armor Wars, a Marvel series that’s still in early development, has been moved from the small screen to the big screen. Don Cheadle is still attached to star, but the project is being rejigged for something feature-length.
The Hollywood Reporter announced the news, stating that Marvel is dedicated to “getting the story told the right way”. This has led to the decision to go with a big action movie over a mini-series for Disney Plus. It’s said there’s some compromise here, as it means Armor Wars gets pushed back in terms of priority. But since we didn’t have a release window to begin with, that much doesn’t matter right now.
Cheadle is leading the project, as Colonel James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, his ongoing MCU character. We don’t know anything about the plot, but the comics story that shares the same title involves Tony Stark having to stop a number of criminals, who’ve built suits on stolen Iron Man plans. Since Tony is now dead in the MCU, it seems that duty will now fall on Rhodey.
Yassir Lester has been retained as writer for the Marvel movie. No directors are attached, nor does the outlet mention anybody that’s in conversation. Considering the pivot, the search might need to be retooled.
Cheadle was part of Marvel’s D23 announcements, showing off a logo for the production. At that point, it was still a six-episode Disney Plus sci-fi series. It seems this decision was made relatively recently. Rest assured, this doesn’t mean you’ll be waiting to see Rhodey again, he’s part of the cast of Secret Invasion, which is in Marvel’s Phase 5 and due to arrive next year.
We’ll keep you posted on Armor Wars. Check out our guide to Black Panther 2 for what’s coming in the immediate future.