Fans have been eagerly awaiting news of Robert Downey Jr.’s next post-MCU acting role and now the actor’s latest project seems to be lining up. In a somewhat surprising move, Downey Jr. will be heading to the small screen for a co-starring role in the upcomingHBOdrama seriesThe Sympathizer.
Deadline broke the news of Downey Jr.’s involvement with this ambitious project, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen.The Sympathizeris a spy thriller set during the finaldays of the Vietnam War. It follows a half-Vietnamese, half-French Communist spy and his eventual exiling from America.
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Downey Jr. will reportedly play multiple characters in the series, all serving as antagonists to the main character. These characters will serve as representatives for various aspects of the American establishment, including an up-and-coming Orange County congressman, a CIA agent, and a Hollywood film director. A worldwide search is reportedly underway to find the series lead. The show will be overseen by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and Don McKellar.
The series marks the first project Downey Jr. is stepping into following his apparent retirement from the role ofTony Stark/Iron Man followingAvengers: Endgame. While he starred in the critical and commercial flopDolittle, production for that movie began beforeAvengers: Endgamewas released. Deadline reports that Downey Jr. was weighing multiple options for his next acting role but the script forThe Sympathizer,along with the opportunity to play multiple roles, led him to choose this ambitious project.
Givenhow iconic Downey Jr. was in the roleof Tony Stark in the MCU, it will forever be difficult to disassociate him from that part. While it was sad to have to say goodbye to him and the character in those movies, it is exciting to think about all the other interesting projects he can now do. From the time he stepped into the role of Tony Stark in 2008’sIron Man, Downey Jr. has only appeared in a handful of starring roles outside of the MCU. Asamazing as he was as Tony Stark, Downey Jr. is incredibly versatile and it would be a shame to see him tied to one role for the rest of his career.
It is also smart that he is not looking to follow up his MCU movies with another blockbuster and is instead going for a more intimate project that will allow him to flex his acting muscles in some interesting ways. The addition of Park Chan-wook is also very exciting and it helps to make this series one of the most anticipated upcoming shows.
The Sympathizeris currently in development.
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