Jan 14 2009Sam Jackson Losing His Fury? (Nick Fury Role)
Samuel L. Jackson played Nick Fury in the Iron Man (you waited after the credits, right!?), and the "Ultimates" version of Fury doesn't attempt to hide that it's Jackson in an eyepatch (see above), so it's seemed reasonable for fans to expect the actor would reprise his role as it appeared in future Marvel projects. Right? No. Because according to the LA Times, Marvel doesn't want to pay Sam Jackson Sam Jackson Money (probably a lot of money), and negotiations are not going well:
There were cheers in theaters at the end of "Iron Man," when Jackson appeared as Fury, but when I asked the actor about it today he shook his head."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.'"
I called Marvel Comics and they gave me a statement that suggested that they still want to see Jackson wearing the eyepatch. "Marvel does not comment on active negotiations," was the boilerplate repsonse, but there was that emphasis on the word "active" in the voice of the spokesman who phoned me back.
I'm not sure I see the issue here. Fury is a black guy, right? Just get Don Cheadle.
Reader Comments
1. Anonymous Poster - January 14, 2009 1:27 PM
If Sam Jackson is replaced, I will immediately lose all faith in Marvel.
2. nats - January 14, 2009 1:33 PM
No offence but i like the white Nick Fury better... i dot really read much of the ultimates comics anyway. So i really could give a shit if they use him.
3. Gene - January 14, 2009 1:39 PM
Who cares. I was extremely disappointed that they suddenly decided to make Nick Fury a black guy. Any true marvel fan knows that Nick is a tough ass older white guy and it should stay that way. Why not make Wolverine asian, instead?
4. Sueyo - January 14, 2009 2:44 PM
Nick Fury *isn't* a black guy. He's white. And he shouldn't be black, so that's fine if they don't get Samuel L. Jackson. Get a white guy instead, like it should be.
5. Corazon - January 14, 2009 3:22 PM
I guess you people didn't really read the "Ultimate" version. And lately Iron Man isn't that much of a hero lately anyways, so why should he have a movie?
6. Brayden - January 14, 2009 3:42 PM
No one reads the ultimates versions because they're gay. Stick to the fo' real comics, they're better. Not being racist, just classic fury is sooo much cooler.
7. Brayden - January 14, 2009 3:53 PM
Harrison Ford as Nick Fury.
amazing.
would be.
8. TOM - January 14, 2009 4:01 PM
The problem wasn't money. The problem was Jackson being a hack these days. The last two genre projects he worked on were partly ruined because of Jackson's uncontrolled, lousy performances. Jumper and The Spirit, among myriad other problems, suffered from Jackson's tendency to go "big", and I'm sure it's smothered his star appeal somewhat. I know that I personally don't give a sith what he does now.
Remember, you wouldn't be getting Pulp Fiction/Die Hard/Shaft Jackson, you'd be getting The Spirit/Jumpers Jackson, and there is no comparison. Get somebody else and say it was budget related. I'll bet Marvel just doesn't want The Octopus anymore and they are making it a money thing
9. fax - January 14, 2009 5:49 PM
"There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so..."
Hmmm, I wonder it that has anything to do with the world-wide economic crisis.
10. Ans - January 14, 2009 5:58 PM
Everyone knows David Hasselhoff is the only Nick Fury. Get with the program Marvel.
11. Val - January 14, 2009 5:58 PM
The Spirit needed no help being a shit movie, and definetly wasn't made one by Sam Jackson's performance. It was doomed to failure by all actors contributing. That movie just sucked ass, don't blame Samuel Jackson.
People will bitch all they want but the man is still a legend.
All this sounds to be to me is a bunch of continuous bitching because a race role was changed instead of keeping with consistancies of certain artists' protrayle of a comic. The same people I DONT see bitching over more pressing problems such as plot holes or timeline differentials. Get over it, whatever that they made him black, white, asian, hispanic, etc. He hasnt become a child, real old person, or had his sex changed. It fits the history of the character, jus his skins a different color. That should be the LEAST of anyones worries with the way movies, and especially comic book/video game movies butcher a plot and loose authenticity.
I say keep Samuel L Jackson. And would say that regardless of what actor they chose to play him to begin with. They've already switched Terrance Howard, lets try to limit this nonsense.
12. Brayden - January 14, 2009 6:54 PM
we dont care about his race for continuity's sake, we care cause the original Fury was ten times cooler than the ultimate's Fury.
13. sully - January 14, 2009 9:49 PM
@8, SERIOUSLY? You think S. Jackson was the reason Jumper was terrible? REALLY?! I don't know if you know this, but Jumper also starred Hayden Christenson, who is undeniably the worst A-list actor around today. And you're complaining about Jackson's acting? Seriously? Are you serious? Really? You can't be serious...
Also, doesn't everyone agree that a white Karate Kid is way better than Jaden Smith? They should totally get a white kid to play the new Karate Kid... that's how it was meant to be. Since, you know, all the other Karate Kid movies had white people. The white kids that know karate are way cooler, but it has nothing to do with color.
14. Cory - January 14, 2009 11:19 PM
WTF!! Samuel S. Jackson not playing Nick Fury will RUIN NICK FURY FOREVER!! And even more than when they changed him from white into black, which RUINED NICK FURY FOREVER BEFORE!! LIke, f**k, what other novelty actor can they possibly get to play him in World War Hulk or whatever this crossover movie is supposed to be?!
15. fsdfdf - January 15, 2009 3:46 AM
marvel is gonna end up replacing every single actor from the first movie, even (or especially) robert downey jr. because of their "financial crisis". who needs these actors anyway...continuity's sake? ahhh nooo. there are enough sad nerds who are gonna watch it anyway.
-------------------------------------
IRON MAN 2 starring- - - DON CHEADLE as war machine and DON Cheadle as nick fury and DON CHEADLE as IRON MAN! oh and DON CHEADLE as Pepper Potts.
16. che-che - January 15, 2009 11:34 AM
so there isnt enough money, i guess the hulk did suck as bad as i said it did.
but i digress.
i say get dave chappel to play samuel jackson playing nick fury. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. good mutha fucking beer!!
17. wang - January 15, 2009 4:20 PM
To Bill Brasky Brooks! A ten-foot-tall, two-ton son of a bitch who could eat a hammer and take a shotgun blast standing!
18. tom - January 15, 2009 9:52 PM
It wasn't Jackson that MADE Spirit or Jumper suck, I'm just saying that he sucked in those movies.
The real thing that pisses me off about all of this is the way that Marvel just jumps from one trend to the next with no idea of what made the characters great in the first place. A black Fury isn't the issue, it's the whole "Ultimates" take on him and on the other infected characters. If the Marvel Zombies sold a touch better then all of the books would be fucking zombies. If cowboys were big now they'd all be fucking cowboys. I'm sure we narrowly escaped Marvel Pirates a couple of years back.
19. Adam - January 17, 2009 6:32 PM
Nothing against Sam Jackson, but the character I'd really like to see is Nick Fury, not Sam Jackson-as-Nick Fury.
20. wil - March 1, 2009 12:15 PM
"I'm not sure I see the issue here. Fury is a black guy, right? Just get Don Cheadle."
Normally I'm not concerned with political correctness since I'm the white guy who tends to receive the short end of the stick when society addresses race. This time, I believe the 'get any black guy' sort of comment is inappropriate. If Cheadle would do (because he's black, right?) how about Martin Lawrence as Fury? Or Gary Coleman??
Think, man, THINK!!
Cheadle is a fine actor who would be an adequate replacement, as would Snipes, Rhames or any other current celluloid action icon. Using a black actor would make sense for continuity's sake, since Marvel began with Jackson. But what if they replace him with a white guy? So what??!!
Ideally, I'd like to see Jackson return for maximum cinematic continuity. I will be just fine with any flava Marvel hires - I'll still know which one is Fury because he'll be kicking butt and wearing an eye-patch.
21. Photoshop Police - March 12, 2009 2:10 PM
Nick Fury was originally white in the comics, but I don't have any problem with the rebooted version of Fury from the more recent comics.
Marvel is obviously playing the "The Economy Sucks and We're Poor" card, and they're trying to get Samuel Jackson to take a pay cut for this one.