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Samuel Jackson Might Not Be Returning as Nick Fury?!

by Alex Billington
January 14, 2009
Source: Hero Complex

A rather disappointing bit of news to report today, coming from Geoff Boucher of the LA Times' Hero Complex. Despite previous confirmations otherwise, apparently Samuel Jackson might not return as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury in the upcoming Marvel movies. "I saw 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," Jackson said. So what the heck happened since then? Well, it always comes down to money.

"There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. 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.'" First it was Terrence Howard being replaced by Don Cheadle, now it's Sam Jackson! Before we get too far into this, let's look at Marvel's situation. The problem is that The Avengers movie will require salaries for at least five big actors: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, whoever plays Thor, whoever plays Captain America, and whoever is the villain.

If you look at it that way, obviously Marvel's "economic crisis" is that they're going to need a lot of money to be able to pull off an enormous crossover movie like that. While I expect it to be a huge hit that's entirely worth it in the end, it's an issue they need to address before they go into production. And that means potentially cutting Jackson's side character out of the movies. I know that Nick Fury is definitely not a side character, considering he is the leader of the Avengers team, but he's not leading his own movie and I'm sure Marvel doesn't want to pay him (or whoever plays him) a lead actor salary on top of all the others.

So what hope do we have, if any? Well, when Boucher told Jackson that it's likely no one else would want to step into the role that was designed from the ground up for Jackson to play, his response was: "Maybe nobody will wear it. Maybe they'll decide Nick Fury won't be part of it." That would be very sad to see, but it really could happen. Or maybe Marvel could realize how important Jackson is, find some extra funding, and do their best to keep him in it. It all depends - is the cup half empty or half full?

Explore tags: Casting, Movie News, Opinions

dom

good - he's in too many action movies these days, and he ruined the end of iron man for me. Don't replace him, just don't use that character - the SHIELD representative worked well through out the film.
david

you know, i really like sam jackson he has given some superb performances like in a time to kill, but then again he is a lot like nicholas cage, in that he is also a 'paycheck' actor so he has plenty of $$ due to the fact that it seems he doesn't say no to very many scripts, which i am not downing him for if he can get the parts and make the crazy bank more powre to him, but i think him, and ALL of the other actors involved ultimately throughout the last movie should be willing to take a temporary cut in pay if it will help get the set of marvel movies made. i mean come on in general actors are grossly overpaid as it is does anyone really need 25-20 million dollars for a month or two of work ? ok i will stop now, but i do hope jackson is back as fury he is awesome as the ultimates nick fury '
Michael

irony of this is that last night i pondered this very concept. sam reprising his role that is.
Michael

#2 you said it all
Nate Mac

It sucks that the same actor might not play such a key figure as Nick Fury... But come on, he works for S.H.E.I.L.D.! They've always used stand-ins for Fury and other key operatives... This can be easily written off... Plus, I'm kinda sick of Sam... And all those other greedy-ass actors, who want to get paid out the ass for something I'd do for free!
ryderup

If Sam is such a great guy he could do the part for cheap. But replacing Howard and now maybe Jackson, don't like recasts. It fucks up filmmarathons
Fox

"Nick Fury is definitely not a side character, considering he is the leader of the Avengers team" No, he's not. The leader of the Avengers is Captain America. And thus, Nick Fury is really expendable, imo.
-Peter-

THIS IS TERRIBLE NEWS! I hope it's wrong.
The Delightful Deviant

i love the premise of Nick Fury, and i love Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, but Nick Fury demands too much respect from the super hero community. as a Marvel Comics fan i rather have Maria Hill who replaced Nick Fury as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D because she doesn't take shit and none of the heroes liked her especially not Tony Stark and Captain America. i rather see some exchange of dialogue when they don't agree instead of Captain America being cowed down by Nick Fury.
Nick

I never really liked the Ultimates version of Fury, I rather like the grizzled hard ass Fury instead, so if they do put Fury in there I'd rather it not be Jackson as well. Also, don't forget Ed Norton as Hulk, assuming he'd reprise the role.
Matt

Sam is posturing for a paycheck. I interpret "economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world" as "they don't want to pay me what I'm asking." I think he's likely overestimating his own importance, and the importance of Nick Fury in the Iron Man and Avengers universe. Would it be nice to have Nick in both films, yes of course. Is he essential? No. I would assume he would only be in a few scenes in each which wouldn't justify a huge payday from Marvel.
Richard

Speaking of economic crisis, yesterday they told us they were cutting %15 of our workforce today, im not real excited to go into work this morning.
Itri

#1 - It wasn't the end moron, it was just a bit extra. Take it as you will, prick.
harrison

c'mon you cant introduce him as nick fury and then not bring him back. theres no money problem how much did they bring home from ironman? billions right? and why doesnt jackson bypass his agents scrounging for more money and take a paycut if need be, im sure he wants the role and hes not above taking part in a movie for shits n giggles ( snakes on a plane anyone?)
Fisherr

I love Marvel comics alot and i have been a fan for years but sometimes they make bad decisions. First Terrance with Cheadle and then no Sam L. Hope they reconsider Fury if not they could bring him in another version, for me the one that fits will be Fred Ward...Just an opinion that's all (Nick Fury from Marvel Ultimate Alliance)
My Name is Pat

Well.....this is dissapointing and kind of reassuring in its own....individuality of the character nick fury I grew up reading all these marvel comics so i know that sam can pull it off....but the fact is they need nick fury.....no offense to sam jackson either cuz i love his movies but...hes not white, i know that sounds rude and all but if marvel wants to be marvel, then they should at least follow physical character traits then the characterization of the hero or villian thats in the comics they produced! for example with robert downy playing iron man/Tony Stark, he had the physical and emotional traits of the character, which led the movie to be such a success at the box office and kind of in our hearts....it was a start of a new "era"....the superhero era lol, i know im getting off topic but it all comes into place in the end, also if they really want the avengers to work, well if they dont have the money, put it off for a few years, i know everyone is very excited but let marvel make some other movies to tie in some new characters......i smell a spiderman remake.....Sam Raimi is pretty good but hes making it his own, and i know a director wants to make it their own movie but, you got to stick with the comics strictly ya know? i just beleive in order to make this movie work they obviously need a shitload of money to make it but, they should put it off for a few years in order to get the funding they need to pay the actors.......also i would like to see more than iron man, war machine, thor and captain america in the movie....i thought hulk was going to be in it? but all and all i think they should wait and have the full avengers or something like that.....also one last thing.....HUGE VILLIAN OPPORTUNITY!!!!! thats my thought...until next time
Darunia

What the fuck, nooooooo, this can't happen. And an economic breakdown at Marvel? What the hell is that supposed to mean? 2 successful movies out, one of them a huge success, and they are having problems?
Darunia

Oh and Nick Fury not being in it, is not a possibility. Jackson or no Jackson, Nick Fury will be in the avengers movie.
vic

Samuel L. Jackie R.I.P.
andrew

yeah to me i don't care if SLJ plays fury or not. i like both versions of fury (616 and ultimate) tho they're both very similar. i think they should go with a less popular actor with the acting chops to give us a proper fury. i think SLJ is in too many movies and is too much of a known commodity for us to truly believe he is nick fury. plus, there is no way in hell these big-name actors will take a pay cut so how are they gonna fit them all in as well as the special effects.
andrew

oh yeah i also second the idea that fury is a must in the avengers movie. a must!!
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4120/sppunx06oa5.jpg Crapola

Samuel Jackson has said the reason he does a lot of mivies is because he doesn't ask for as much money as other folk. I don't care anyway Iron Man wasn't that amazing, I think the Avengers will fall apart too. H ah ha
aravena

I hated Jackson as Nick Fury. I was so disappointed when the ending came. I got all excited wondering what I was waiting for then BAM! It was this guy again, who I could only place as the leader of the Paladins in Jumper since that movie had just came out. Or he was the living corpse of the deranged cop with an eye patch from Lakeview Terrance or whatever that movie was called. Seriously, get some awesome and rugged like Nick Fury was. And I still say McKidd for Thor. He's a good actor and can be pretty bad ass.
pistol pete

The first post got it right. Jackson is Shaft not Nick Fury. Jackson is Mace Windu not Fury. Sam Jackson needs to quite ruining movies by acting the same way in every movie and not like the character.
JESUS

NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who the fuck is more qualified to play a badass like Nick Fury than Samuel L. MOTHERFUCKING Jackson???!!!! Replace Terence Howard with Don Cheadle: Fine. Great actually cause Cheadle is going to rock the shit out of the role. But Jackson is fucking perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AllmightyKeim

*sigh* seems like all my hopes and dreams for movies are going down the shitter. They need to realize that movies are not like comics. They are treating the actors like artist. We can just replace the actor/artist and keep going witht the story line. Yea it looks diffrent but the story is still being told. BULLSHIT!
http://ckinfinite.blogspot.com/ CMK

?? Nick fury is not the leader of the Avengers team. Captain America (usually) is. In most incarnations of the character, Fury heads up SHEILD. I dug the Ultmates reinvention of Fury. They kept the same, grizzled premise, and updated him.
http://ckinfinite.blogspot.com/ CMK

oops. S.H.I.E.L.D I meant: S.H.I.E.L.D
ERivas

Number #16 ( Andrew) D00d, you are such a Nerd.. Referring the Nick Fury most people know as the one from 616 ( as in the universe that he comes from)..This is a movie thread...some people might know what you are talking about, like me..But, A lot of folks here might not...consider your audience in the future...
ERivas

Opps..I meant #18..haha
j money

I don't care who plays Fury, War machine, Thor, Hulk... or even Peter Parker.... Just KEEP the same F-ing Actors!!! Reboots, sure switch it around. It's encouraged, but otherwise flop-flopping actors sucks. Sam has played in everything from Amos & Andrew, to Loaded Weapon. PAY THE MAN! Hell, fury's likness was even inspired by him and they can't even bring him back to essentially play himself. Wouldn't that be a bitch? I can't stand Hollywood and their executives' logic sometimes.
Syphous

Like #9, I wanted to remind everyone of Edward Norton possibly coming back as the Hulk, so, yeah, it's an expensive little endeavor and personally I don't care if Samuel L. Jackson is in it.
http://www.youtube.com/snears Nick Sears

I agree with J-Money - I can't stand when actors are replaced(except when it was Maggie for Katie in the Dark Knight, which was an awesome replacement). But I can't stand it when they switch the actors around. Howard did a phenomenal job in Iron Man and its a bummer he can't come back, but to have a second actor get swapped in the same movie(only after a friggin cameo?!) - Come on!! Casting roles is a huge task - especially with comic book characters. Its a pain for the audience b/c they feel like separate movies since they've grown attached to those characters Pay the Man!
dave13

considering it was a cameo, and only in the updated version was Samuel's likeness used for Nick Fury, him not being it is not essential. while i was upset at first, cause it was freaking amazing seeing that tag-on, its not important. and personally, i like Nick Fury in the classic, rough and tough army-dude. he was just bad-ass in his own right that way, and they just need to find a white-guy to fulfill the role. note, this does not mean to use the new Bond for this part (I forget his name). I HATE that actor. he's so emo. lol. or, Jackson should just take a damn paycut for a role that will only have 4 scenes in the movie.
RStewie

They ought to have all the actors take a pay cut, and give them limited royalty rights...it worked for the original Batman, didn't it? I'm not sure there was a pay cut involved there, but I do believe there was a substantial income for Nicolson, wasn't there? I really want these to be all out, true to the original story, escapist fantasy movies. Please Marvel...now is NOT the time to cut back. You've got a winner here, if you just don't screw it up.
smacky

THANK GOD. ENOUGH of Sam Jackson. He just ruins parts now.
D-9

#2 PLEASE! You simply cannot use the Great Sam Jackson in the same sentence as the Ultimate Hack N. Cage. It is just wrong.
dadadada

they should have made him sign a contract up front.... but hey I know lets cast Will Smith!! Hell, he's doing everything else!!
Jaf

Is it cuz The Spirit failed? Naw. . .
dac_fan

They have to pay 5 big salerys, Cap,downey jr, thor, don cheadle, and the vilan. What about the fucking Hulk? YOu can't have a movie without hulk!
http://crabby.com crabby

Good. I hope that they do not hire him to play Nick Fury.
L

I like Sam Jackson a lot, but the casting choice of him as Nick Fury is just piss poor.
http://www.myspace.com/apocalypze DJ Sid

I really hate it when they switch the actors....
Mike

Thank God. I'm so sick of seeing Sammy Jackson in every thing. He only knows how to play one type of role.
http://google Xerxex

good, I'm a little tired of seeing Jackson in every movie, still love the guy though.
Smart Guy

Nick Fury = great, Samuel L. Jackson = not great. He is getting old, same character over and over. Casting change should be a plus.
Jimbo Slims

Surely they're going to cut down the prominence of his character, given the cast they've already begun to confirm so far. Not sure how his scene deals work, but if he could be convinced to do one post-credit scene in Iron Man I, and he's literally swimming in work, then I don't see how it could hurt to cut his in for at least one scene in Iron Man II. Maybe his agent's shaken after the whole "Snakes on a Plane" debacle. Certainly the worst news here is - in his words - "Marvels having a bit of an economic crisis..." I certainly do see alot of extra copies of Incredible Hulk on the shelves - and that's coming from a lifelong Hulk fan, too! Looks like someone needs to focus on making great comics, and cut down on crappy (Punisher) movies! Good thing is, they've recruited comics BIGGEST rising star, Jonathan Hickman, to write the highly anticipated upcoming "Secret Warriors" arc. His turnout thus far has been nothing short of revolutionary (the Nightly News, Pax Romana, Red Mass for Mars...). I'm expecting Marvel's most edgily intriguing stories to date! Stay tuned ...
Conrad

I am sick of Samuel L. Jackson these days man!!! I was perturbed when I found out he was playing Nick Fury. Nick Fury is CAUCASIAN!!!! He is not black. I despise it when they make these remakes or film adaptations of stories and change the race of key characters! Samuel L. Jackson is just annoying these days, he really does not impress me anymore. After Die Hard with a Vengeance. i just do not care about him - at all. I AM VERY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT HE HAS BEEN BOOTED FROM IRON MAN 2.
http://www.metricktraining.com Web Based Training

With three casting changes for this role, I'm starting to wonder if they just doing it to generate buzz for the film. With the biggest bombshell being they take the char out altogether.
Eric

I think this is a good thing. Now, I would hate to make this a race issue but i like sticking to the source more. the simple fact is that Nick Fury is a white guy. Now I know I will be Blasted for not being "progressive" but I stand firm on this. Nick has been white in every video game he has made an appearence in. In the "Howling Commandos" books he was white. In the God awful movie that was "Nick Fury: Agent of Sheild" he was a white guy. ANd I swear on all things Holy that if you bring up the ridiculous "ultimates" I will stab you in the jaw. The "ultimates should not exist. A much more suitable person would actually be Micky Rourke, Bruce willis, or Clinte Eastwood. Heck, even Vin Diesil would make a better Nick Fury.
D

This is the best news I've heard all week. Samuel Jackson is horrible if he's not dropping F bombs every other word, and for some reason I just don't have Marvel letting him do that. Not to mention this isn't The Ultimates, it's the Avengers and Nick is white.
M

120% agreed with 5 Sam is an awesome dude but, come on These actors are getting loads of money crammed up there asses for these parts when theres a shit load people that would do it for free!