It looks like Robert Downey Jr. will be hopping into the shoes of yet another famous character. Although instead of blasting bad guys in a suit of iron or solving mysteries, he will stepping into the role of the classic 1920's children's book character, Dr. Dolittle. The story was about a Doctor who elects to treat animals over humans after he finds that he has the ability to speak with them.
The Voyage of Dr. Dolittle is the title of the newest iteration of the story (fourth movie, third iteration overall), following Rex Harrison's 1967 original and Eddie Murphy's 1998 remake and 2001 sequel. Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) is on tap to direct and will use his own screenplay. The title of the film appears to be a variation on the title of the second Dr. Dolittle book, The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, which was published all the way back in 1922. It would likely stand to reason that we are looking at another origin story given the distance between films.
In a world where remakes and reimaginings are seemingly the only business in Hollywood, it seems as though it was just a matter of time before Dr. Dolittle got the treatment.
Source: [Variety]
