Hands down, Robert Downey, Jr. is one of my favourite actors working at the moment. Hell, one of my favourite actors of all time. So any news about a project he’s involved in is good news in my eyes. The more we get to see of him the better.

News now comes courtesy of Variety that Downey, Jr., whose recognition across the globe has somewhat exploded in the last few years after taking on both Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes, is going to be heading to the courtroom for a big-screen adaptation of author Erle Stanley Gardner’s defence lawyer, Perry Mason.

I confess that I’ve never read any of Gardner’s original books, nor have I seen any of the dozens of feature or television films based on the books, nor the television series featuring Raymond Burr in the titular role from the ’50s and ’60s. But Mason’s is a name that is well known regardless of whether you’ve seen or read anything with him in, and a new adaptation with Downey, Jr. on board is definitely still very much something to look forward to.

“Like the original series of books by Erle Stanley Gardner, “Perry Mason” will be set in the rough and tumble world of early 1930s Los Angeles, and feature fan favorites such as Mason’s secretary, Della Street, private investigator Paul Drake, and Mason’s longtime courtroom nemesis, Hamilton Burger.”

It might well be too much to ask for, but if Michelle Monaghan were to re-team with Downey, Jr. as Della Street after working together on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, I think I might instantly die with joy. Obviously, that’s probably just a pipe-dream. But whoever lands the director’s job on this will undoubtedly have seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and know how brilliantly she and Downey, Jr. worked together on that film. (If you’ve not seen it, I highly recommend you track it down as soon as humanly possible.)

Downey, Jr. and David Gambino (The Brave One, The Invasion) are coming up with an original story for the film – how much do you want to bet it’ll be genius? – and are currently in the process of looking for a writer for the project. With principal photography having wrapped on both Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and The Avengers, Downey, Jr.’s next two films, his confirmed schedule is looking fairly light until Iron Man 3 gets underway, so let’s hope that this Perry Mason project comes together sooner rather than later. Smart money says it’s going to be brilliant.