Though the past decade or so of his career has seen him fighting alongside the likes of Thor, Captain America, the Hulk and more in order to protect our planet from all kinds of enemies, Robert Downey Jr.’s schedule has finally cleared up and the actor is wasting no time in moving onto some non-Marvel projects.
We haven’t seen him in a role other than Iron Man in quite a while, but that’ll soon change as RDJ will be back on our screens early next year in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. Or at least, that’s what it was originally titled. Now, however, according to the film’s first trailer – which you can catch up above – it’ll go by just Dolittle. And yes, this is the same Dolittle who talks to animals that we already met in the 1967 original and then again in the 1998 remake with Eddie Murphy.
This time around, Stephen Gaghan (Traffic) is behind the camera and joining Downey Jr. is an all-star cast that boasts fellow MCU fan favorite Tom Holland, Michael Sheen, Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes and John Cena, among others. It’s a line-up that’ll surely pack theaters and for more, you can consult the official plot summary down below:
“After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), famed doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company. But when the young queen (Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wondrous creatures.
The doctor is joined on his quest by a young, self-appointed apprentice and a raucous coterie of animal friends, including an anxious gorilla (Oscar winner Rami Malek), an enthusiastic but bird-brained duck (Oscar winner Octavia Spencer), a bickering duo of a cynical ostrich (The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjiani) and an upbeat polar bear (John Cena, Bumblebee), and a headstrong parrot (Oscar winner Emma Thompson), who serves as Dolittle’s most trusted advisor and confidante.”
As for this first trailer, well, it’s certainly a far cry from something like Avengers: Endgame or Infinity War, but it looks like a nice change of pace for the iconic actor after years spent flying around in an iron suit saving the world and should be a fun time at the theater. Even if it might be aiming for a bit of a different crowd than RDJ’s MCU efforts.
In any case, the quality of the film itself aside, Robert Downey Jr. is more than enough of a reason to see any given movie and we’ll certainly be checking this one out when Dolittle hits theaters on January 17th, 2020.