Now that he’s saved the world from evil super-villains and solved mysteries in jolly old England, what will Robert Downey Jr. do next? Save the world from more evil super-villains and solve more mysteries in jolly old England, of course — oh, and he’ll talk to some animals in between. The actor and MCU superstar has signed on to headline The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, in which he’ll play the titular protagonist, previously portrayed on the big screen by Rex Harrison and Eddie Murphy, in a new film from the director of Gold.

Variety reports that Downey Jr. is attached to play the good doctor in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, based on the character created by British author Hugh Lofting. Dolittle was the protagonist in Lofting’s series of children’s books, which were first released in the 1920s and centered on a physician who abandons his human practice when he learns he can communicate with animals.

The character first appeared on the big screen in the 1967 musical Doctor Dolittle, in which Rex Harrison played the title role. Three decades later, Twentieth Century Fox revived Doctor Dolittle with Eddie Murphy, who starred in both the 1998 film and its sequel, released in 2001.

Stephen Gaghan will write and direct The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, the title of which is inspired by the second book in Lofting’s classic series. Gaghan most recently directed Matthew McConaughey in Gold, and previously won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Traffic.

In addition to Iron Man’s return in this summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, Downey Jr. is set to reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes in a new sequel from Guy Ritchie.

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