Since gracefully bowing out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. has spent the two years relentlessly linked with a return as Iron Man in any number of projects, both real and entirely hypothetical, even though he said he’s done all that he can with Tony Stark.
If anything, the actor has scaled back his onscreen output, focusing on expanding his Team Downey production company and moving into humanitarianism via his Footprint Coalition. However, recently, he did sign on for a recurring role in a TV series (for the first time in over 20 years). Reportedly, he’ll earn $2 million, per episode, playing multiple characters in HBO’s The Sympathizer.
Sherlock Holmes 3 may not happen, or it might; the jury is still out. Apart from that, however, his schedule is clear, mostly. Though, we’re hearing from our sources — the same ones who told us Ben Kingsley would return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings long before it was confirmed — Disney is eying RDJ to board another franchise.
Details are thin for the moment; no word if it’s an existing property or something new. Still, Downey Jr.’s last foray into effects-driven fare didn’t go well. Dolittle flopped, earning a reputation as 2020’s worst blockbuster (despite getting released the third week of January. His residual MCU star power means he can write his own ticket these days; thus, it needs to be a worthwhile project for him.
