Robert Downey Jr. eyes a starring role in the remake of an Alfred Hitchcock classic

On the surface, it may look like Robert Downey Jr. has taken a break from acting after annihilating the box office with Avengers: Endgame in 2019, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Among several projects currently in the pipeline, new reports suggest Downey has his sights set on starring in the remake of one of the most famous Alfred Hitchcock movies of all time, Vertigo. 

The Paramount Pictures-acquired project is still in its embryonic stage of development, according to Deadline, but should all go according to plan, Downey will play the lead role originated by James Stewart; that of a retired police detective who incurs a major fear of heights — i.e., vertigo — as a result of a traumatic on-the-job incident. 

The project will be penned by See and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, and see Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox produce the film in partnership with Downey and his wife Susan, as part of their film production company, Team Downey. 

The original Vertigo is noted by film historians for its stretched and distorted camera shots meant to mirror the feeling of acrophobia, or the fear of heights. It was the first movie of its time to utilize the dolly zoom, a combination of camera equipment and perspectives technique that achieves the “push and pull” James Stewart’s character feels when in the throes of vertiginous distress. (Fun fact: A dolly zoom was also used by Steven Spielberg in Jaws, to magnify the sensation of terror and alarm visited upon Roy Scheider’s character, Sheriff Brody, during a certain beach scene).

In a time when Hollywood leans on remakes more frequently than it does original works of art, it’s unsurprising that Paramount has chosen to breathe new life into the 1958 classic. Thanks to the 21st century’s cinematic advances, what was once a daunting task for HItchcock’s dolly zoom should come easily this time around. Only time will tell if it stands up to its predecessor.

Vertigo will be one of several projects in the pipeline for Downey, which includes Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer this summer, A24 and HBO’s The Sympathizer, and a third Sherlock Holmes.