Though the past decade or so of his career has been spent teaming up with the likes of Thor, Captain America, the Hulk and more in order to protect Earth from all kinds of different threats, Robert Downey Jr. still finds time for non-Marvel projects. Admittedly, they’re few and far between, given that his commitment to the superhero franchise is so large, but as his involvement in the MCU starts to wind down, he’s now looking to diversify a bit.
We haven’t seen him in a role other than Iron Man since 2014’s The Judge, but that’ll change soon as according to The Hollywood Reporter, Downey Jr. has signed on to star in Stephen Gaghan’s The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. Yes, the same Dolittle who talks to animals. We’ve already seen the character on screen before, both in the 1967 original, and the 1998 remake with Eddie Murphy, but given the involvement of the Traffic and Syriana director – who’s also penning the script – we imagine this approach will be a little different. Who knows, though? Perhaps he’s just looking for a change from his usual stuff, which is a lot more grounded and dramatic.
Universal are the ones with the rights to the flick and while we don’t have any plot details just yet, Gaghan and Downey Jr. are certainly an exciting pair, even if this project does seem a bit out of the ordinary for both of them. Let’s just hope that it turns out a lot better than what Murphy brought us in the late 90s. Though with the talent already on board, something tells us it will.
Based on the 1920’s series of children’s books by Hugh Lofting, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle will be produced by Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films alongside Susan Downey for Team Downey. With a director and star now attached, we expect to hear more soon, so be sure to stay tuned.
