Third time’s the charm: Robert Downey Jr is the next Doctor Dolittle

Actor’s new take on children's classic will be directed by Stephen Gaghan

First Rex Harrison did it, then Eddie Murphy and now it’s Robert Downey Jr's turn. The Iron Man star has been cast as the physician who can talk to the animals in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, reported Variety.

The film is a new take on the classic children's favourite and will be co-produced by the actor's wife Susan Downey for Universal Pictures. Little is known about the exact nature of the plot but it will be directed by Stephen Gaghan from his own screenplay.



The character of Doctor Dolittle was created by author Hugh Lofting who wrote stories about him in letters he sent to his children while serving in the British army during the First World War.

In 1920, he published the first book in a series about the country doctor in early Victorian England who decides to treat animals instead of people after realising he can communicate with them.



In 1967, Rex Harrison starred as the character on film in the beloved musical Doctor Dolittle which was shot on location in an English village in the Cotswolds. The movie garnered two Oscars – one for best visual effects and one for best original song for Talk To The Animals.

In 1998, Eddie Murphy revived the character through a big screen family comedy version of the movie and starred in its sequel in 2001. Together the movies grossed $470 million worldwide.

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