The Judge might not have exactly set the box office alight, but it did end up scoring Richard Duvall an Oscar nomination. So Robert Downey Jr., along with producing partner/wife Susan Downey, is developing a new, untitled blend of drama and comedy that will have more of a political bent with one of the film’s writers, Bill Dubuque.
Based on an idea by the three, it’s apparently a comedic drama (or a dramatic comedy? We’ll have to wait until it’s actually produced to find that out) that focuses on the intense world of three presidential debates, where millions of dollars and months of campaigning are whittled down to 270 minutes of extremely public political theatre. Chances can be made or broken and candidates must test their mettle while also pumping out the platitudes. It would seem to be a savvy move, especially since America is headed for plenty of debates next year, with a presidential election coming up.
Still, it’s all at an embryonic stage for now, with no directors and certainly no cast attached, though Downey is likely tailoring it to be a starring role. And who wouldn’t want to see the once and future Tony Stark as a glad-handing politician laying on the charm.
Team Downey – actually the name of the couple’s production company – is also currently at work on a film about the real-life story of the USS Indianapolis as mentioned in Jaws, and recently hired Paul Thomas Anderson to re-write and possibly direct their version of Pinocchio.