Grains of salt at the ready: According to Cinema Blend, Jon Favreau was all set to direct The Avengers, but Marvel wouldn't meet his asking price and went instead with the more budget-conscious choice of Joss Whedon. To make matters worse, CB's sources report that Favreau was so unhappy with Marvel's meddling on Iron Man 2 that he won't return to direct Iron Man 3. Somewhere, Terrence Howard is nodding his head with satisfaction. [Cinema Blend]
