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.

Probably one of the most exciting moments of this summer's blockbuster season was seeing Marvel set up for the impending superhero team flick The Avengers with a bumper introducing Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man. Even cooler was Marvel's choice to begin to create their own cinematic Marvel universe by having Robert Downey, Jr. make a cameo as Tony Stark in The Incredible Hulk. But now it appears the coolness factor of this little venture might be in a bit of a spot.

IGN sat down with Sam Jackson himself and asked him about the rumors circulating that Marvel may not be able to afford to have him aboard:



This is not good news for Marvel or fans of the upcoming potential franchise. While some might think that it's not necessary to have Jackson keep the role for this to work, this predicament is just as annoying as when Marvel switched out the already established Terrence Howard (Rhodey from Iron Man who later becomes the character War Machine in the comics) for Don Cheadle. Not that I don't like Don Cheadle, but casting changes like this for what is to become a franchise is just frustrating.

I can't say that Marvel is being stingy with their money, especially because we don't know how much Jackson is supposed to get paid for portraying Nick Fury (I would hope that he'd be willing to take a pay cut to participate in something like this, especially since the man makes about 5 films a year). However, Marvel's negotiating tactics don't seem to great considering their first offer to Mickey Rourke as a potential villain in the sequel to Iron Man is a lowball figure. Anyway, I really would like to see this all successfully come together, and hope that Marvel and the negotiating talent can come to some sort of arrangement. What do you guys think about this debacle?