Pajiba is reporting, through their Twitter feed’s Hollywood Cog segment, that Marvel is currently soliciting pitches for a War Machine spin-off movie.
James Rhodes, the man underneath the suit of armor, was first played by Terrence Howard in Iron Man. Don Cheadle replaced Howard for Iron Man 2 — actually getting the chance to suit up in a modified version of Iron Man’s armor. Cheadle is currently signed on to return for Iron Man 3 and The Avengers.
While at first glance it seems that a War Machine movie is pointless in a world where Iron Man was more beloved for Robert Downey Jr.’s performance than the suit of armor itself, I can see a spin-off movie being a way to guarantee a continued franchise if Downey Jr. ever decides he’s getting too old to play superhero.
A War Machine movie may never happen but if Pajiba’s source is to be believed, Marvel is at least considering it. What the story would be is anybody’s guess but I remember the Chuck Austen’s War Machine comic book series for Marvel MAX as being pretty entertaining.