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A busy man after the success of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is currently shooting the comedy Due Date. He has plenty of upcoming projects, including a "re-imagining" of Harvey and the comic book adaptation of Cowboys and Aliens, not to mention Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man 2 awaiting theatrical release.
Yet, Downey Jr. told Esquire magazine that what he really wants for his next project is to direct.
I will not be able to remain happy and sedate being whatever — being an increasingly hirable actor type. I think the best thing I could do for my soul and my own development would be to direct.
I'm not sure exactly how things are going to shake out, because it's really easy for me to do landgrabs with my day job, and I still have a lot of passion for it. But if I had to guess, that would probably be my next move.
Downey Jr. claims that directing is "in his blood" from his dad and that getting behind the camera is one of those things that remains "very, very much unrequited." With so many projects lined up, it's anyone's guess when Downey Jr. will take a break from acting and start directing, though Downey Jr. may skip out on Cowboys and Aliens.
Posted 11.12.09 by Ryan -
Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman can focus on the script for Star Trek 2 now that they're finished adapting the comic book Cowboys & Aliens for director Jon Favreau. However, their version, Kurtzman told IGN, won't be completely faithful to the graphic novel.
We went away from it. We took the elements we all loved about it and took our own story, which I can't tell you too much about.
And what is the biggest change according to Orci?
Tone. How do you make it so it's not too funny? You hear the title Cowboys & Aliens and think, what is it? Is it Wild, Wild West? The exact same structure and story can kill you if you have the wrong tone. That's the hard part.
Kurtzman agreed, saying the movie is " not a comedy" but rather like "watching Unforgiven and then the aliens from Alien land." The movie is currently in pre-production and the duo are having a great time working with Favreau. "He's the greatest," says Kurtzman. Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard are producing the movie.
Posted 10.21.09 by Ryan -
Monday we heard big news about Disney buying Marvel Entertainment for a cool 4 billion. Today, we have word of what may be potential fallout from the massive merger — Marvel movie schedules being shuffled around and/or maybe even being cancelled altogether....
Collider is reporting that Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau would rather play Cowboys & Aliens than get back into the Iron Man armor, inferring that at least Avengers may get pushed back, if not dumped, from the schedule.
We're learning that Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau will delay The Avengers and a potential Iron Man 3 to do Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof's adaptation of Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley's graphic novel, Cowboys & Aliens. ... That completely botches a 2012 Avengers because that year is now for Cowboys & Aliens. And since Downey is officially signed on for The Avengers, it means we're seeing that in 2014 at the earliest. And if Iron Man 3 comes into the picture (and I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't) then we're talking a project slate that hurts my brain to even think about it.
Furthering the thought of Marvel movies being jettisoned by Disney is this critique from G4 pundit David Poland:
There will surely be more news and fallout about the fate of Marvel movies under the Walt Disney Corporation, so stay tuned to ReelzChannel.
Posted 09.02.09 by reelz -
It was quite a coup for upstart publisher Platinum Studios to have its Cowboys & Aliens comic book picked up by Dreamworks for adaptation into a feature film. It was an even bigger coup when it was announced that the movie script was being written by the dream team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek), and that Robert Downey Jr. might star in the picture.
However, since that original announcement back in 2007, there has been little to report about this project, except that Downey Jr. might be too busy to star in the film. In April, Orci said:
(Robert's) one of the busiest men on the face of the Earth. If the schedule can line up, we'd absolutely love it.
The screenwriting duo recently updated the project's status, announcing that they — along with writer Damon Lindelof — have completed the screenplay for Cowboys & Aliens, and that now it's just a matter of time. During a group interview last week, Orci said:
We're waiting to hear from the principals. We try not to turn it in until we think it's ready. Obviously, there are always things you can improve.
We're just literally waiting to hear if they hate it or what.
Posted 08.11.09 by BrentJS