Robert Downey Jr. in talks for COWBOYS & ALIENS

By Matt Holmes / June 25, 2011

It was just under a year ago (June 21st) that Dreamworks and Universal Pictures teamed up in a joint venture deal that would bring the pulp sci-fi/western comic book series Cowboys & Aliens to the big screen as a potential big screen tentpole in 2010. Now comes word from The Hollywood Reporter that the man of the moment, Robert Downey Jr. is in talks for the lead role.

"Cowboys & Aliens" derives from a graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley from an original idea by Rosenberg. The story centers on an Old West battle between the Apache and Western settlers, including a former Union Army gunslinger named Zeke Jackson (Downey), that is interrupted by a spaceship crashing into the prairie near Silver City, Ariz. The story draws a parallel between the American imperialist drive to conquer the "savage" Indians with its advanced technology and the aliens' assault on Earthlings, who must join together to survive the invaders' attack.

After a decade of development and several different writers at various studio's, it's the team of Children of Men scribes Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus whose work has convinced a studio to fully go ahead and commit to the project. They also penned an early version of Iron Man, which would of course eventually see Downey Jr make multiple millions of dollars for Paramount and Marvel. Downey Jr as an old school gunslinger who encounters aliens, in the midst of a good old cowboy and Indian battle? How cool does this project sound? Let's hope talks with Downey Jr go smoothly and the producers can quickly find a suitable director.