Robert Downey Jr unveils stellar cast of Doctor Doolittle film. Could a new franchise mean the end of Iron Man?

It’s easy to forget that Robert Downey Jr has a career outside the Marvel movies, but just shy of the ten-year anniversary of Iron Man, Downey Jr has unveiled the cast for what could be yet another franchise for him to handle. The star on Tuesday revealed the voice cast for his upcoming reboot of Doctor Doolittle, titled The Voyage of Dr Doolittle.

Besides Downey Jr in the title role, the cast will include Emma Thompson as a parrot, Selena Gomez as a giraffe, and a jungle full of animals played by the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Octavia Spencer, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Marion Cotillard, Rami Malek, Craig Robinson, Carmen Ejogo and Downey Jr’s co-Avenger, Tom Holland, who will play a dog.

I am most pleased to announce the stellar voice cast joining me on #TheVoyageofDoctorDolittle. #EmmaThompson @ItsRamiMalek @octaviaspencer #RalphFiennes @kumailn @selenagomez @MrCraigRobinson @carmenejogo @TomHolland1996 #MarionCotillard @RealFDLT @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/GmfjOCqv7w

— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) March 27, 2018

Live-action roles will be played by Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen and Jim Broadbent.

The character of Doolittle is based on a series of books by Hugh Lofting. He was previously played by Eddie Murphy in two movies, both of which were successful at the box office.

Downey Jr will reprise his role as Iron Man/Tony Stark in two more Avengers movies, at the end of which he is rumoured to be calling it a day. Several fans are also speculating that his character might be killed off in one of the movies. He also plays Sherlock Holmes on the big screen, and is expected to reprise his role in a third film soon.

The Voyage of Dr Doolittle is being directed by Stephen Gaghan and is slated for release on April 12, 2019.

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First Published: Mar 28, 2018 10:45 IST