Robert Downey Jr. can do pretty much anything he wants thanks to leading the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a decade, and it seems that the first thing he wants to do now that he's free from the mantle of Iron Man is talk to animals. The upcoming DOLITTLE is the latest big-screen adaptation of Hugh Lofting's series of Doctor Dolittle novels and finds Downey Jr. starring in the title role along with a voice cast which includes Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard, and Carmen Ejogo.
Universal Pictures have released a handful of character posters for DOLITTLE which feature the animals characters striking a pose alongside Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Dolittle.
I'm still not quite sure what to make of the film, particularly after those unconfirmed whistleblower reports which paint production as a nightmare, but I'm always willing to give Robert Downey Jr. a chance.
The official synopsis for DOLITTLE:
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 (Dunkirk’s Harry Collett) 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.
DOLITTLE will hit theaters on January 17, 2020.