10 Upcoming Movie Roles That Are Completely Miscast
4. Doctor Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr) - Untitled Doctor Dolittle Movie
Robert Downey Jr is very fun to watch, but he’s at that point where - like Johnny Depp before him - you know exactly what you’re getting into when you go and watch one of his movies.
Like Depp (whose Mad Hatter, Jack Sparrow, and Willy Wonka all feel like slight variations of the same eccentric kook), this makes his performances feel a little predictable, and his characters a little samey.
Downey’s Sherlock Holmes is basically a British version of his Iron Man, and hell, Downey himself feels like he’s doing an Iron Man or a Holmes, even when he’s not in a movie. So... won't his Doctor Dolittle just follow suit?
After all, studios will want to hire Robert Downey Jr so he can play Robert Downey Jr - it's his attitude and charisma that made him the mega-star he is today, and it's this that sells his movies. 2014's The Judge, which was missing that cheeky sense of humour, did not perform well. That’s very telling.
Universal have hired Downey so he can essentially play himself in a Doctor Dolittle movie. Wouldn’t it have been far more exciting to have a fresh, different interpretation from another actor instead? We all know how Downey’s performance will turn out, and it’s hard to be enthusiastic about seeing something we’re already getting in the MCU every other year.