Don Cheadle will replace Terrence Howard in Marvel's upcoming "Iron Man 2."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios and Howard parted ways after sequel negotiations fall apart "over financial differences" among other things.

The trade says that Marvel was quick to swap in the "Hotel Rwanda" Oscar nominee for the "Hustle & Flow" Oscar nominee.

In the summer's blockbuster "Iron Man," Howard played Jim Rhodes, best friend to Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark. As was hinted at in the waning moments of the original feature, Rhodes eventually becomes War Machine in the comic book series, a complicated arc that involved Stark's alcoholism, a whole bunch of alien technology and a trip to the dark side.

It's unclear if Justin Theroux's script for the sequel will deal with the War Machine storyline, but Rhodes is expected to play a larger role in the Jon Favreau-directed film.

Cheadle was most recently seen in the fall thriller "Traitor." He has the family film "Hotel for Dogs" due next. He's currently working on "Brooklyn's Finest," co-starring Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke.