Armor Wars Writer Weighs in on Marvel’s Decision to Turn Don Cheadle Series Into a Movie

Any Marvel Cinematic Universe fan can be forgiven for forgetting about the Armor Wars project that was previously announced. Armor Wars has changed release dates several times and went from originally being a Disney+ limited series to being a feature film. Comicbook.com recently spoke with directors Yassir and Isaiah Lester about their new film The Gutter, and had to address the work Yassir did as head writer of the Armor Wars TV series – and how he feels now that the project has transformed into a movie.

“I think that, like, Marvel is constantly in a state of, like, ‘What is the most interesting?’ And I … honestly believe some of their films should have been series and some of their series should have been films,” Yassir Lester explained. “And I think that they’re taking that more into account, giving that a little bit more thought now.”

On a technical level, Yassir claims that there’s been no massive creative disruption by turning Armor Wars from a TV series into a movie, “As long as they haven’t started shooting it yet, it’s kind of like, who cares?” That said, Yassir Lester did admit that “I think that the story that I told is a very fun series.”

What’s Different About the Armor Wars Movie?

According to Yassir Lester, the biggest change to the Armor Wars MCU project has been having the film simply get to the meat of Col. James Rhodes’ (Don Cheadle) continuing story faster than the long-form character study that would’ve been the TV show. He also hinted that poor reception of Marvel Disney+ series like Secret Invasion may have also been a factor:

“Given like with Secret Invasion – all these other things [like] the way Rhodey’s story needs to fit into the bigger universe, there is a quicker version that kind of propels him back into the story a little bit quicker, as opposed to a meditation on who the character is,” Lester explained.

Finally, we asked both Yassir and Isiah Lester if they’d be willing to direct Armor Wars. Isiah was unabashedly for it (“Absolutely. Absolutely. I will do it. I would do it. Yeah.”), but Yassir had a major caveat: the money has to be right:

“You know, a lot of people say “yes” or “no idea,” [about] ‘Would you direct a Marvel movie?’ And we’re like: look, what were the Russo brothers paid?

“Put me in a cave, Marvey, and pay me $50 million. I’ll do whatever you said,” Isiah added.

Right now, it looks like Armor Wars is still lingering in developmental limbo. Earlier this month, star Don Cheadle dropped hints that nothing was moving:

You can find out and let me know,” Cheadle told TV line, later adding “I don’t know, I’m not sure where anything is right now. I think things are going through a lot of changes, and we’ll see what happens, we’ll see what it is.”

Armor Wars is in development(?). You can check out our FULL interview HERE.

Magnolia Pictures will release The Gutter in theaters and on digital November 1, 2024.