Adam McKay considering climate change movie as next project, but drops serial killer movie starring Robert Pattinson & Robert Downey Jr.

Deadline reports that Adam McKay is developing a climate-related movie which he’s considering making his next directorial project, but it has come at the cost of his star-studded serial killer dramedy starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Pattinson.

Adam McKay pitched Average Height, Average Build earlier this year, with Netflix scooping up the project a month later. The film would have starred Robert Pattinson as a serial killer who enlists a lobbyist (Amy Adams) to change laws that would allow him to get away with murder easily. Robert Downey Jr. would have played a “retired cop who won’t give up on the murders, and the killer tries to prevent him from dogging his trail now that he’s hung up his gun. The serial killer turns himself into a cause celebre, a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington figure shielding his true motives.” Adam McKay is no longer attached to Average Height, Average Build, and Netflix doesn’t plan on moving forward with the project.

Back when Average Height, Average Build was first announced, Puck noted that its budget might hold it back: “As with most McKay projects, the budget is high for a political dramedy, and despite the fact that his past three movies as a director have generated 17 total Oscar nominations, McKay hasn’t been a huge box office draw since he left studio comedies—though Don’t Look Up, starring tile-friendly Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, is Netflix’s second most-watched movie of all time, with 360 million hours viewed. One executive who heard the pitch told me this week that he wanted to do it but then offered a version of, ‘In this economy?’” It sounded like it could have been a fun project, particularly with the talent involved, so it’s a shame to see it go.

As for the new climate change movie that Adam McKay is considering, no plot details are known, and there doesn’t seem to be any talent attached at this time.

Despite the mixed reviews, Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Now did quite well on Netflix. The film tells the story of two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth. The film features an all-star cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, and more.