According to DeadlineHollywood.com, who continues to make light of the Marvel/Favreau fiasco, negotiations are coming to a close, and Jon Favreau is definitely getting what he wants to helm Iron Man 2. This from Nikki Finke...
It's not officially announced yet, but I'm told that Marvel Studios and Iron Man director Jon Favreau have reached a deal for him to helm the sequel, due out in 2010. (Robert Downey Jr had a sequel clause in his contract so of course he's on board...) Marvel Studios boss David Maisel was quick to put out a "definitely" richer offer to Favreau, but not quick enough for Jon -- who used the Internet to rile up the movie's many fans by spreading nonsense that Marvel was dragging its feet with an offer and then lowballing him. Granted Maisel is no day at the beach himself, but, seriously, could Favreau have been more of an asshole?
Come on now Ms. Finke, Jon never said anything publicly that could have remotely been construed as "riling up the fans." He simply stated the situation when asked about it, and he was a complete gentleman every time--never implying that Marvel's delay was anything more than a busy movie season. He never even mentioned that he was being "low-balled." That rumor came from inside Marvel itself. What riled us fans up was Marvel's sheer rudeness and lack of gratitude for a job well done. It's obvious Maisel was either playing "games," or truly didn't want to give the guy a proper increase in pay.