According to Variety, Robert Duvall will be joining Robert Downey Jr. in director David Dobkin’s The Judge. Though the filmmakers were initially pursuing Jack Nicholson for the role, those negotiations fell through and now Duvall is stepping in.
For those unfamiliar with the film, the dramedy, written by Bill Dubuque (with former drafts being penned by David Seidler and Nick Schenk), will follow Downey Jr.’s character, “a big-time lawyer who returns home after his mother dies, only to learn that his father — who happens to be the judge (Duvall) — is a suspect. Working to get to the bottom of the case gives him the opportunity to reconnect with his family.”
With Duvall and Downey Jr. set for the lead roles, the focus now turns to finding an actress for the part of the ex-girlfriend. Word has it that Vera Farmiga and Elizabeth Banks are both in contention but as of now, nothing is confirmed. That being said, either actress would make a wonderful addition to the already promising cast of The Judge.
While it’s nice to see Robert Downey Jr. stepping outside of Marvel’s massive universe for a bit, I’m not sure that this is a film that I really want to see. Dobkin is mostly known for below average comedies like The Change-Up and Fred Claus, which doesn’t give me much hope. Admittedly, he did do Wedding Crashers, which was pretty funny, but still, knowing Dobkin and knowing his films, I’m guessing The Judge will turn out to be a light-hearted dramedy that doesn’t offer much and likely won’t turn many heads.
Then again, RDJ and Robert Duvall are both quality actors who usually don’t attach themselves to poor material, so who knows? This one may turn out to be something more than just your average feel-good dramedy.
What do you think? Does The Judge appeal to you? Are you looking forward to seeing Duvall and Downey Jr. team up?
