The character of Fury, who had been retooled by Marvel from an aging white commando to a younger African American badass seemingly for Jackson alone (his comic book appearance was based on Jackson's likeness long before he accepted the part), was purported to become a major character in the Marvel franchise. That includes not only Iron Man 2, but also The First Avenger: Captain America and the much-lauded The Avengers, which was set to bring together the characters of Fury, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk and Thor. Now, Jackson has said, "Maybe I won't be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury, or maybe Nick Fury won't be in it." [Yeah, that last one isn't happening, Sam. - Zach]

The studio commented simply, "Marvel does not comment on active negotiations." (The emphasis is theirs.) So, maybe the negotiations haven't completely broken down yet, or maybe Jackson didn't listen all the way through to the end of a voice mail. It's been known to happen. Then again, isn't that about the same thing that happened to Terrence Howard?