From egotistical flying superhero to animal whisperer – is there nothing Robert Downey Jr. cannot do? Yes, that’s right the Iron Man stalwart is hanging up the lycra to take on the part of the beloved Doctor Dolittle in the upcoming The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle.

You’ve guessed it; it’s yet another reboot which Universal has gotten their mitts on. Doctor Dolittle is the age old story of a Doctor who can talk to the animals. It saw its first adaption from Hugh Lofting’s series of books, which were published nearly a century ago, back in 1967 as a musical with Rex Harrison as Dolittle and also starred Richard Attenborough. For younger audiences, you may be more familiar with Eddie Murphy’s venture back in the 1998 remake which subsequently saw a sequel released in 2001.

Doctor Dolittle

Oscar-winning Stephen Gaghan, who directed Matthew McConaughey in Gold this year, looks all set to take up the director’s chair to create the production from his own script with a planned production start next year when Downey Jr. has finished with Avengers: Infinity War.  With Gaghan at the helm, we can expect a completely different version of its predecessors, one which will aim to appeal to a maturing audience. In the book from 1922, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle was Lofting’s second in the Dolittle series, divided into six parts and five times longer than the first.

Having Downey Jr. attached before the bidding even took place would have almost certainly doubled its price at the bidding table. The slightly off the wall actor is much loved by adults and children alike making him the perfect choice to front a family-themed project guaranteeing a huge amount of bums on seats and bulging box office receipts.

Looking like this won’t hit cinemas until at least 2019 we will just have to buckle up for the ride and keep everything crossed that this reboot will be worth our hard earned cash.