Robert Downey Jr. to topline “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Robert Downey Jr. will be able to talk with animals in the upcoming "The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle". The "Iron Man" star is set to play the titular gifted physician, who was portrayed by Rex Harrison in 1967's original movie "Doctor Dolittle" and played by Eddie Murphy in 1998's version, AceShowbiz reports.

Universal Pictures wins the competitive battle over "The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle" and will team up with director-writer Stephen Gaghan. Gaghan will pen the script based on 1920's children books by Hugh Lofting, whereas Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum will serve as producers alongside Susan Downey.

The first movie adaptation of "Doctor Dolittle" was released in 1967 and was nominated for Best Picture at Oscars. Set in Victorian England, the musical film featured Harrison as a physician who lived with animals and was able to talk to them. Meanwhile, the 1998 movie was set in modern times, with Murphy playing the titular character. The remake grossed $294 million worldwide.

Whether "The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle" will be set in Victorian England or modern times remains to be seen. However, the film is speculated to be an origin story which chronicles how Dr. Dolittle discovers his animal gifting powers.

Downey Jr. will return as Tony Stark in "Spider-Man: Homecoming", which will be released on July 7 in the U.S. Currently, the 51-year-old actor is filming "Avengers: Infinity War" which will hit theaters the following year. Downey Jr. is also set to return in "Sherlock Holmes 3" as the titular detective.