‘Armor Wars’ Series Will Now Be a Movie

Okay maybe Armor Wars was a little too ambitious. How about just one armor war instead?

The title will probably remain Armor Wars — that was the name of the Iron Man comics storyline that the concept is based on — but what was originally conceived as a TV series for Disney+ is now being reworked as a movie.

The Hollywood Reporter says Marvel is prepping Armor Wars as a feature instead of the six-episode show it had previously been pitched and announced as. They write…

Marvel had been eyeing a 2023 start of production on the series, but the few people who were gearing up for that were notified Thursday of the change of direction. No directors had been officially attached and it is unclear when an Armor Wars feature would pop on Marvel’s timeline of its phases of movies and Disney+ series.

They also don’t specify whether this Armor Wars movie would be intended for theaters, or whether it would still go straight to Disney+. While Marvel hasn’t made Disney+ movies yet, they are beginning to experiment with “specials”; by the end of the year they are releasing the horror-themed Werewolf By Night and the Christmas-y Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

The original “Armor Wars” comics followed Tony Stark as he attempts retrieve his technology after it is stolen and sold to a variety of super-villains. The TV version will star Don Cheadle as the late Stark’s best friend, James Rhodes, presumably doing much the same for his buddy’s armor after it somehow falls into the wrong hands. Marvel’s Kevin Feige recently said that the show (now film) would spin out of the events of the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which will also feature an appearance from Cheadle.

The Armor Wars series didn’t have an official release date, so it’s not clear when this new film will debut either.