Robert Downey Jr. has been wanting to get Perry Mason back on the screen for years, reportedly working with Warner Bros. dating back to 2011. However it does not appear that the courtroom drama is going to be on the big screen as now rumors have surfaced Team Downey (RDJ’s production company with wife, Susan) is talking to HBO for a TV series, according to sources at Variety.
Adding an interesting note to the mix, Nic Pizzolatto, writer and creator of the True Detective series, reportedly wanted RDJ for the lead in the third season of True Detective. It is unlikely that RDJ would be able to do both television series, so some serious decisions would need to be made as to what he could devote his time to. RDJ is already confirmed to appear in at least the first Avengers Infinity War movie (official title remains unannounced) as well as a third Sherlock Holmes film. Of course rumors of an Iron Man 4 film will always be present but no real substance has come of those rumors as of yet.
HBO is certainly looking to spice up their True Detective series as season 2 was dubbed a “flop.” There has been speculation that a new writer might come in under the supervision of Pizzolatto to help get the series back to its debut season popularity. Other alternatives would be a new showrunner or hiring a staff of writers, all options keeping Pizzolatto as an executive producer. Pizzolatto signed a contract with HBO late last year keeping him on board through 2018.
RDJ’s last appearance on television was during his Ally McBeal days from 2000-2001 before he cleaned up his personal life and became the Hollywood A-lister he is now. Despite being known more for Iron Man/Tony Stark, RDJ did play a lawyer in his production company’s first film – The Judge, which received mixed reviews.
Perry Mason was a courtroom drama television series running from 1957-1966 on CBS. Starring Raymond Burr as the titular character, Perry Mason was a lawyer that successfully defended falsely accused people by baiting and drawing out the real criminal on the witness stand.
Would you like to see RDJ in an HBO television series? What do you think True Detective needs to get it back to its original glory? Let us know in the comments!
[button link=”http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/robert-downey-jr-nic-pizzolatto-hbo-tv-1201836724/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Variety[/button]
