In October 2008 , Marvel Studios came to an agreement to film '' Iron Man 2 '' , as well as their next three films , at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach , California . A few days later , Don Cheadle was hired to replace Terrence Howard . On being replaced , Howard stated , " There was no explanation , apparently the contracts that we write and sign are n't worth the paper that they 're printed on sometimes . Promises are n't kept , and good faith negotiations are n't always held up . " '' Entertainment Weekly '' stated Favreau did not enjoy working with Howard , often re-shooting and cutting his scenes ; Howard 's publicist said he had a good experience playing the part , while Marvel chose not to comment . As Favreau and Theroux chose to reduce the role , Marvel came to Howard to discuss lowering his salary — Howard was the first actor hired in '' Iron Man '' and was paid the largest salary . The publication stated they were unsure whether Howard 's representatives left the project first or if Marvel chose to stop negotiating . Theroux denied the part of the report which claimed the size of the role had fluctuated . In November 2013 , Howard stated that , going into the film , the studio offered him far less than was in his three-picture contract , claiming they told him the second will be successful , " with or without you , " and , without mentioning him by name , said Downey " took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out . " In January 2009 , Rourke and Rockwell entered negotiations to play a pair of villains . A few days later , Rockwell confirmed he would take the role , and that his character would be Justin Hammer . Paul Bettany confirmed that he would be returning to voice J.A.R.V.I.S. Marvel entered into early talks with Emily Blunt to play the Black Widow , though she was unable to take the role due to a previous commitment to star in '' Gulliver 's Travels '' . Samuel L. Jackson confirmed that he had been in discussions to reprise the role of Nick Fury from the first film 's post-credits scene , but that contract disputes were making a deal difficult . Jackson claimed that " There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down . I do n't know . Maybe I wo n't be Nick Fury . " In February , Jackson and Marvel came to terms , and he was signed to play the character in up to nine films . Downey and Rourke discussed his part during a roundtable discussion with David Ansen at the 2009 Golden Globes , and Rourke met with Favreau and Theroux to discuss the role . Rourke almost dropped out due to Marvel 's initial salary offer of $ 250,000 , but the studio raised the offer , and in March Rourke signed on . Later that same day Scarlett Johansson signed on to play the Black Widow . Her deal included options for multiple films , including potentially '' The Avengers '' . In April , Garry Shandling , Clark Gregg , and Kate Mara joined the cast
2009 Golden Globes
66th Golden Globe Awards
Iron Man 2