In an article about Samuel L. Jackson accepting the role of a 'kid-whispering nanny' in The Man That Rocks the Cradle, Variety noted that he had just completed work on a number of films including the 'Jon Favreau-directed Iron Man.' Back in July ICv2 reported that producer Avi Arad had strongly hinted that the voice of Afro Samurai would have a cameo in Iron Man (see 'Hillary Swank in Iron Man'), appearing as the cigar-chomping cold warrior, Nick Fury. Now that it has full control over its self-produced films, Marvel, which has a Nick Fury feature in the works, can be expected to tease future productions with crossover cameos.
Jackson's appearance in Iron Man is a likely indicator that he will assume the role of Nick Fury, and that a Nick Fury film may not be that far away, especially if the first two Marvel-produced films, Iron Man (May) and Hulk (June), do well next summer.