A while back we reported on the disappointing news that the economic crisis killed any possibility that Samuel L. Jackson would be taking on the role of Nick Fury for Iron Man 2. But today comes some great news because according to Variety, Samuel L. Jackson and Marvel have come to an agreement not only for his portrayal of Nick Fury in the sequel to Iron Man, but the potential appearance in as many as nine other Marvel films.

This deal would obviously include involvement in the eventual film for the ensemble hero team The Avengers and maybe the other individual hero films leading up to it (including Thor and Captain America). Variety also references another title called The Shield which I can only assume would follow the exploits of the unit known as S.H.I.E.L.D., but this is the first I've heard of it. So maybe there's an as yet officially unannounced movie dedicated specifically to Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Let's hope that this deal sets the tone for some more happy endings to negotiations (mainly for Mickey Rourke who is on again/off again as a potential villain in Iron Man 2 following a lowball offer from Marvel for the role). Iron Man 2 is set for release May 7, 2010 with principal photography set to begin this spring.

The Associate - Variety reports screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) has been tapped to adapt the John Grisham novel as a starring vehicle for Shia LaBeouf with Paramount Pictures distributing. "LaBeouf will play a Yale Law School student with a sordid secret that leaves him vulnerable to blackmail. He's manipulated into taking a job at a law firm and working on a multibillion-dollar lawsuit." Doesn't sound particularly exciting, but I really enjoyed Matt Damon in John Grisham's The Rainmaker, so this could work out.

The Expendables - Ain't It Cool News got info that Arnold Schwarzeneggar is joining the upcoming action bonanza written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. Unfortunately he won't be joining the titular team, but will rather be playing himself as California governor. The Expendables tells the story of a covert team sent in to South Africa to take out a tyrannical dictator. Rest of the cast already includes Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Forest Whittaker, Dolph Lundgren and Eric Roberts. Sounds like a good old fashioned action flick in the same vein as Rambo.

The Days Before - Production Weekly reports via Twitter that negotiations are underway to have Robert Downey, Jr and Reese Witherspoon in the Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) directed film. Story is best described as a sci-fi Groundhog Day where an alien race is traveling through time and destroying the human race yesterday, and the yesterday after that. So everyday the human race was destroyed yesterday, and today and one man has to convince the world each day that they will be destroyed, over and over again. Yeah, I'm confused too, but it sounds like an very intriguing concept.