Robert Downey Jr. will be Perry Mason for Warner Bros.

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Once with his career on the brink of collapse, Robert Downey Jr. has surged to be one of Hollywood’s biggest “it” actors; not bad for 46 years old. He’s found success and franchise potential in both IRON MAN and SHERLOCK HOLMES, and now Warner Bros. is hoping for a trifecta.

The studio is teaming with Downey Jr. for a new look at Perry Mason. The character got his start in a series of books about a defense attorney, and the series would later go on to be adapted for TV, radio and film many times over. In the ’30s, the books were so popular they sold upwards of 26,000 copies a day, and have sold 425 million total to date.

So clearly there’s something to the series, and even if it’s not the 1930s any more, the character could still be a relevant force in entertainment. Downey Jr’s Mason will reportedly not be modernized, and will stay in the ’30s and feature staples of the books like Mason’s secretary, Della Street, private investigator Paul Drake, and Mason’s courtroom nemesis, Hamilton Burger.

There doesn’t seem to be anything Downey can’t do these days, so obviously this is a project to watch, even if you’re unfamiliar with the super old school source material.