Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr. will make his Broadway debut this fall in a new play titled "McNeal" by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar.
Downey Jr. will take on the lead role in the play, which centers around a writer grappling with personal and professional challenges. The character, Jacob McNeal, is described as struggling with "an estranged son, a new novel, old axes to grind and an unhealthy fascination with artificial intelligence." "McNeal" is billed as a "startling and wickedly smart" examination of the complexities of storytelling and the human condition.
The production will be staged at Lincoln Center Theater, currently featuring Steve Carell in "Uncle Vanya." Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, known for directing acclaimed productions like "South Pacific" and "To Kill a Mockingbird," will helm "McNeal." The play is scheduled for a limited engagement running from September to November 2024.
This marks Downey Jr.'s first time on Broadway, though he previously appeared in an off-Broadway production in 1983. He recently received his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer." Downey Jr. is also currently involved in the television miniseries adaptation of "The Sympathizer."
Ayad Akhtar, the playwright behind "McNeal," has a successful career on Broadway. His play "Disgraced" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012, and his 2016 work "Junk" received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. Akhtar is also working on a Broadway adaptation of the Oscar-winning musical "La La Land."
Downey Jr.'s Broadway debut follows a recent trend of Hollywood actors taking to the New York stage. Steve Carell is currently performing in "Uncle Vanya," and Rachel McAdams received a Tony nomination for her performance in "Mary Jane" last season.
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