ReelzChannel | Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.

25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Thu, 26 Nov 2009

Charlie Bartlett (Robert Downey Jr. as Principal Gardner )

4:35 PM ET | Showtime 2 HD

4:35 PM ET | Showtime Too

7:35 PM ET | Showtime 2 (Pacific)

7:35 PM ET | Showtime 2 (Pacific) HD

Fri, 27 Nov 2009

Wonder Boys (Robert Downey Jr. as Terry Crabtree )

3:30 AM ET | Showtime

3:30 AM ET | Showtime Digital

3:30 AM ET | Showtime en Espanol

4:30 AM ET | Showtime (Central Feed)

5:30 AM ET | Showtime (Mountain)

6:30 AM ET | Showtime (Pacific)

6:30 AM ET | Showtime Digital Pacific

Charlie Bartlett (Robert Downey Jr. as Principal Gardner )

5:45 AM ET | Showtime 2 HD

5:45 AM ET | Showtime Too

8:45 AM ET | Showtime 2 (Pacific)

8:45 AM ET | Showtime 2 (Pacific) HD

Robert Downey, Jr. Retiring from Acting?

BRENTJS SPRECHER — 22 Nov 2009 20:02:36 CDT

Actor Robert Downey Jr. is on top of the world. After an incredibly successful turn as billionaire superhero Tony Stark in Jon Favreau's Iron Man, Downey, Jr. is about to star as the world's smartest detective in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.

However, despite his recent success, Downey Jr. may be ready to walk away from it all. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Downey Jr. said that he has "no set plans" for the future.

I've never had it this good — this is my day in the sun — and I certainly don't want to look a gift horse in the molars. But [my wife] Susan and I want to begin to be in our lives as much as we are in our jobs. I'd love just to sit here and say, 'What movie's playing tonight?' I'd love to finish the new book about D-day I'm reading. I love painting, I love music.
I'm f---ing really good at what I do — and have been for a long time, so I don't waver on that. But here's the thing: I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don't know, maybe a couple more times. It's something I'm so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay.

For the fans who would be devastated by his retirement, Downey, Jr. offered some hope in a thinly veiled plug for his new movie.

If Sherlock Holmes performs well, I could be busy for the next 5 or 7 or 10 years.

Alan Arkin to Appear in Due Date

RYAN GOWLAND — 17 Nov 2009 10:20:52 CDT

Director Todd Phillips is following up his hit movie The Hangover with another comedy, Due Date, which tells the story of a father-to-be (Robert Downey Jr.) who reluctantly hitches a ride with a college slacker (Zach Galifianakis) in an attempt to get home before the birth of his child.

Alan Arkin told Collider that he has joined the production to play Downey Jr.'s estranged father, who Downey Jr. has not seen in twenty-five years. Arkin claims that his scenes are largely improvised.

We did a lot of improvising and restructuring the stuff I was in. [Downey Jr.]'s got a very, very fast mind. He thinks about every aspect of the production. He knows exactly what he needs and what the scene needs, and he's very quick to be able to play around with the structure, within all those things that are going on. He's a very, very smart young man.

Robert Downey Jr. Wants to Direct Next

RYAN GOWLAND — 12 Nov 2009 03:20:44 CDT

A busy man after the success of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is currently shooting the comedy Due Date. He has plenty of upcoming projects, including a "re-imagining" of Harvey and the comic book adaptation of Cowboys and Aliens, not to mention Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man 2 awaiting theatrical release.

Yet, Downey Jr. told Esquire magazine that what he really wants for his next project is to direct.

I will not be able to remain happy and sedate being whatever — being an increasingly hirable actor type. I think the best thing I could do for my soul and my own development would be to direct.
I'm not sure exactly how things are going to shake out, because it's really easy for me to do landgrabs with my day job, and I still have a lot of passion for it. But if I had to guess, that would probably be my next move.

Downey Jr. claims that directing is "in his blood" from his dad and that getting behind the camera is one of those things that remains "very, very much unrequited." With so many projects lined up, it's anyone's guess when Downey Jr. will take a break from acting and start directing, though Downey Jr. may skip out on Cowboys and Aliens.