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Robert Downey Jr. to Star in a New Doctor Dolittle Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

Robert Downey Jr. to Star in a New Doctor Dolittle Movie

Robert Downey Jr. puts away his Iron Man helmet for now to don the hat of another well-known character, Doctor Dolittle, a classic character who can communicate with animals. RDJ is set to star in the movie The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle for Universal Pictures. Stephen Gaghan will direct.

Doctor Dolittle was created by British author Hugh Lofting in the 1920s. The starring in a series of children’s books, Dolittle was a Victorian-era physician who chose to treat animals instead of humans because of his ability to speak with them.

There’s no word one what the plot might be. Judging by the movie’s title, it’s possible the studio aims to take the character back to the Victorian Era and follow the premise of the first and/or second book. Robert Downey Jr. is no stranger to period pieces of that time. His other iconic role, Sherlock Holmes, solved impossible murders in a version of the Victorian Era that had elements of steampunk (without it actually be steampunk).

Lofting’s character was portrayed by only a couple of actors over the years. Rex Harrison portrayed the character in the 1967 musical Doctor Dolittle, which won Academy Awards for Best Original Song and Best Visual Effects. Eddie Murphy starred in the 1998 comedy Doctor Dolittle and its 2001 sequel.

Source: Variety

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Christina E. Janke

Christina is the co-host of “Intro to Geek” on Shauncastic and Editor-in-Chief at Agents of Geek. Her love of all things Mass Effect knows no bounds. She also carries an obsession with comic books, video games, and quirky television shows. Her heroes are Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Gail Simone. She hopes to be just like them when she grows up.