His tenure as Tony Stark may have come to an end, but the MCU has left Robert Downey
Jr. with the kind of professional resources he'd never had before in his career, from
a massive worldwide fanbase to a hefty bank account to the kind of clout in Hollywood
that will allow him to pursue a host of new projects.
Here's why he left the MCU, and what's ahead for Marvel's first leading man.
Getting off the MCU "bus"
First thing's first: Why did Downey and his fellow Avenger Chris Evans elect to leave
the MCU in the first place?
Disney Twenty-Three magazine has the answer.
In a recent chat with the insider outlet, the iconic Iron Man actor said their time
was simply up, saying,
"We had to get off.
We opted to, and knew it was part of the job to get off the bus while it rolled on to other
destinations.
There’s something very sobering about it.
I’m glad he and I will be there to welcome others as they retire their jerseys."
"No amount of money ever bought a second of time."
"Smart guy."
As for his legacy in the MCU, RDJ was his usual charming and self-effacing self, saying,
"I really don’t need to look any farther than my co-stars.
Mark Ruffalo is an activist, Chris Evans is a diehard American and proponent of true democracy.
I don’t really have the gumption, the skill set, the drive, or the humility either of
those guys do."
His modesty is sweet, but MCU fans will always love RDJ 3000, and will keep their fingers
crossed for a cameo or two as the Marvel machine moves on without him.
The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle
Two major film adaptations of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle novels have already been released,
including Eddie Murphy's famously broad take on the character.
Now it's Downey's turn to take on the role of an eccentric animal expert who's able to
talk to his animal friends.
Downey has been attached to the project since the spring of 2017, and principal photography
on the film began the following year, but then the production hit a snag.
In April of 2019, it was reported that producers had serious concerns about the initial cut
of the film.
After some rewrites and much reported tweaking, the studio pushed back the film's release
date from summer 2019 to January 17, 2020.
In addition to Downey in the title role, The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle will feature an
all-star cast of celebrity voices for animals, including Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland.
Sherlock Holmes 3
Shortly after he began his cinematic journey as Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. took on another
iconic character: Sherlock Holmes.
Downey played the legendary detective in two action-heavy films in 2009 and 2011, which
grossed more than $1 billion worldwide combined.
The Sherlock Holmes films were directed by Guy Ritchie and packed top-tier talent into
their casts, including Jude Law as Dr. Watson.
In the spring of 2018, Warner Bros.
Pictures finally announced a third film in the series featuring the return of Downey
in the title role and Law as Watson.
We know very little about the film, which was originally set to be released on Christmas
Day, 2020, but has since been pushed back to December 21, 2021.
This new date places the sequel's release ten years after its predecessor, Sherlock
Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
The project does not yet have an announced director, which means there's a chance Ritchie
could also return.
Dr. John Brinkley biopic
In 2017, it was announced that Downey would star in an upcoming film based on an episode
of the Reply All podcast.
The episode, titled "Man of the People," was the story of John Brinkley, a doctor who rose
to fame and fortune in the early 20th century for a number of strange and controversial
"medical" procedures, including transplanting goat testicles into humans.
As dramatized in the 2016 Brinkley documentary Nuts!, the pioneering doc used radio as a
way to reach the masses.
Downey will reportedly star in the film as Brinkley, putting him in a great position
to use his charm onscreen for a conman role.
Richard Linklater will direct, while Downey and his wife Susan will produce through their
Team Downey production banner.
The film does not yet have a release date.
All-Star Weekend
Downey has great comedy chops, something we've known about him since the early days of his
career when he was playing supporting roles in John Hughes films like Weird Science.
"This is Max.
We call him Mad Max."
He's gotten more recent opportunities to show off those skills thanks to films like Chef
and Due Date.
Sometime soon, he'll be flexing his comedy muscles in a big way yet again with a role
in All-Star Weekend, the directorial debut of his The Soloist co-star Jamie Foxx.
Foxx is the writer, director, and star of the film, which follows two friends as they
try to make it from their home in Indiana to the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles while
constantly battling each other as fans of LeBron James and Steph Curry, respectively.
All-Star Weekend does not have an announced release date yet, and as of late 2018, Foxx
was still looking for the right distributor for the project.
Perry Mason
Back in 2016 it was reported that Downey would star in a new miniseries from HBO following
a reimagined version of criminal defense attorney Perry Mason from the CBS television series
starring Raymond Burr which ran from 1957 to 1966.
"You didn't kill Thompson.
But you did, Mr Wells!"
"Yes!
I killed Ned Thompson!"
Set in 1930s Los Angeles, the miniseries is set to focus on the character's origin story.
When the project was initially announced, True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto was
also onboard to write the miniseries.
Things have changed significantly in the last three years, but Perry Mason is still happening.
Downey is still very much involved, though he will no longer star in the series.
Downey has instead stepped back into the role of executive producer on the series alongside
his wife and producing partner Susan Downey.
The Americans star Matthew Rhys has instead been cast in the title role.
The Footprint Coalition
He may be done playing Tony Stark, but Robert Downey Jr.'s journey as a world-changing mogul
may be just beginning.
Downey appeared at Amazon's ReMARS conference in June 2019 and, in the midst of a 20-minute
talk about his life, career, and interest in technology and the environment, he announced
a major new initiative.
In April of 2020 Downey will launch the Footprint Coalition, an organization that will work
to improve the environment using advanced technologies like artificial intelligence
and nanotechnology.
Basically, Downey is playing Tony Stark in real life.
He said during the announcement,
"Between robots and nanotechnology, we could clean up the planet significantly, if not
totally, in 10 years."
At this point we still don't know exactly what the Footprint Coalition will do first,
or what technologies it will use to achieve its goals.
At the moment, the organization is little more than a sparse website with an option
to sign up for a newsletter.
But if RDJ is involved, it's likely to make plenty of headlines in the years to come.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite MCU stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.