MARCH 20, 2017 11:00am PT by Rebecca Ford, Borys Kit
Robert Downey Jr. to Star in 'The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle'

Universal has landed the rights to the project that Stephen Gaghan wrote and will direct.
The doctor is in.

Robert Downey Jr. will star in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, based on the character from the 1920’s series of children’s books by Hugh Lofting. Stephen Gaghan (Syriana, Gold) will direct the film based on a script he wrote, with an earlier draft by Tom Shepherd.

In a competitive situation, Universal won the rights to the hot package after it hit the town and garnered multiple bids from studios last week.

Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum will produce for their Roth/Kirschenbaum Films alongside Susan Downey for Team Downey.

Doctor Dolittle first hit the bit screen in the 1967 musical Doctor Dolittle, directed by Richard Fleischer. It was written by Leslie Bricusse based on Hugh Lofting's novels: The Story of Doctor Dolittle, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle and Doctor Dolittle's Circus. The story follows the eccentric Doctor John Dolittle, a former physician who lives with and treats animals, claiming that he can communicate with them.

The 1967 film, which was a musical, was not well-received at the time, but was nominated for an Oscar for best picture and won for best original song and visual effects. Another Dr. Dolittle film was released in 1998 and starred Eddie Murphy in the titular role. The Fox film was a success and resulted in four sequels, although several went direct-to-video.

Downey was most recently seen as Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Age of Ultron. He will reprise the role in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War. He’s repped by CAA.

Gaghan won an Oscar for writing Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic. He also wrote and directed Syriana, and most recently wrote and director Gold, starring Matthew McConaughey. He repped by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson.

Shepherd is represented by WME, Think Tank management and Jackoway/Tyerman.

CAA packaged the deal and represents Gaghan, Downey and Roth/Kirschenbaum. Additionally, Gaghan and Downey are represented by Hansen Jacobson; and Roth/Kirschenbaum by Ziffren Brittenham LLP.

Selena Gomez is hopping on The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle.

The Universal feature stars Robert Downey Jr. as the physician with the uncanny ability to talk to animals, one of which Gomez will voice.

The platinum recording artist joins a voice cast that includes Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland, Emma Thompson and Ralph Fiennes. Along with Downey, Michael Sheen and Antonio Banderas will be starring in live-action roles.

Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) will direct from a script that he wrote (an earlier draft was done by Tom Shepherd). The story is based on the 1920s children’s books by Hugh Lofting.

Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum (Alice in Wonderland) will produce via their Roth/Kirschenbaum Films shingle, alongside Susan Downey for Team Downey. Jon Mone and Lexi Barta will oversee production for the studio.

The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle will begin production this month in London, and is slated for a April 12, 2019, release.

Gomez, who acts as the executive producer on hit Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, can be heard in the third installment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise, due out this July. She is repped by WME, Lighthouse Management & Media and Ziffren Brittenham.

OCTOBER 01, 2018 2:33pm PT by Pamela McClintock
Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Doctor Dolittle' Pushed Back 9 Months to Early 2020

Stephen Gaghan is directing the star-studded adaptation of the classic fantasy tale about an eccentric doctor who can communicate with animals.

The release of The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, starring Robert Downey Jr., is being pushed back nine months to Jan. 17, 2020, the beginning of the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend, Universal announced Monday.

Directed by Stephen Gaghan, the star-studded adaptation of the classic children's tale was supposed to hit theaters April 12, 2019. Studio insiders say the switch-up means the event family film will be able to capitalize on a less-crowded playing field, particularly overseas.

In a twinned move, Universal is relocating Little, starring Marsai Martin (Black-ish) from Sept. 20, 2019, to Doctor Dolittle's previous date of April 12.

Pushing Voyage of Doctor Dolittle to January 2020 and away from the 2019 summer season also means that Downey won't be pulling double duty. On its previous release date. Doctor Dolittle would have opened three weeks before Disney and Marvel Studios' Avengers 4, which returns Downey in the role of Tony Stark and is expected to be a global box-office juggernaut.

Universal already had the Jan. 17, 2020, date staked out for an "untitled event film."

Based on the classic 1920s children's book by Hugh Lofting, Voyage of Doctor Dolittle stars Downey as the eccentric titular doctor with an uncanny ability to communicate with animals.

Actors lending their voices to the pic include Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, John Cena, Rami Malek, Craig Robinson, Marion Cotillard, Frances de la Tour and Carmen Ejogo. Starring in live-action roles are Antonio Banderas, Jim Broadbent and Michael Sheen.

Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum (Alice In Wonderland, Snow White and the Huntsman) are producing via their Roth/Kirschenbaum Films alongside Susan Downey for Team Downey.

Little is based on an idea pitched by Martin, who is an executive producer alongside producer Will Packer (Night School, Girls Trip). Directed by Tina Gordon (Peeples), the comedy tells the story of a woman who — when the pressures of adulthood become too much to bear — gets the chance to relive the carefree life of her younger self.

Issa Rae, Regina Hall, Tone Bell, Justin Hartley and Luke James also star.

APRIL 12, 2019 3:05pm PT by Borys Kit
'Ninja Turtles' Director Jonathan Liebesman Tackling 'Doctor Dolittle' Reshoots (Exclusive)

'The Lego Batman Movie' director Chris McKay and Liebesman were brought on to help Stephen Gaghan with the Robert Downey Jr. movie.

Dr. Dolittle is back in the operating room.

Universal is reworking its big-budget live-action/CG hybrid feature The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, the story of an eccentric doctor played by Robert Downey Jr. who can speak to animals, and is coming off of an extensive shoot overseen by Jonathan Liebesman, the helmer behind Wrath of the Titans and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Stephen Gaghan, the original director, was on set and collaborated with Liebesman, say insiders. Several sources note the process was “inclusive” and Gaghan will remain the credited director.

The new photography lasted 21 shooting days (not including new postproduction work), according to insiders, and came after an overhaul courtesy of Chris McKay, the director of The Lego Batman Movie.

Sources say that it became apparent to the studio and producers Susan Downey, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum in fall 2018 that the movie, budgeted at $175 million, needed some surgery. Gaghan is known for his Oscar-winning work on layered dramas such as Traffic and Syriana; it was his first time tackling a visual effects-heavy production that was also comedic in tone. The movie features Dolittle interacting with numerous speaking animals, the latter being brought to life via computer-generated visual effects. Sources say that Gaghan’s cut didn’t catch those hybrid elements.

The studio knew more than a nip and tuck was needed when in October 2018 it pushed the release date from April 12, 2019, back nine months to Jan. 17, 2020.

The studio and producers began looking for a filmmaker for the job, landing on McKay, best known for his work on Robot Chicken and The Lego Batman Movie, projects that involved unique animation looks as well as irreverent tones, the latter being a Downey hallmark.

McKay assessed the assembled cut and helped come up with new ideas while also overseeing the writing of new material. McKay wasn’t available for the new shoot but did hand the baton off to Liebesman, with whom he worked on Ninja Turtles.

“Gaghan needed help with the animal component of it all,” says one source. “These two guys who had expertise in that field, and they came in to help.”

Dolittle is based on the 1920s children’s books by Hugh Lofting, which was previously adapted for the big screen with Rex Harrison playing the character in 1967, and Eddie Murphy taking up the mantle for a 1998 film and a 2001 sequel.

Downey stars as the eccentric doctor who speaks to animals, with Universal assembling an all-star lineup to round out the cast, most of whom are providing voices to the animals: Selena Gomez, Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes Michael Sheen, Antonio Banderas, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, John Cena, Rami Malek, Craig Robinson, Marion Cotillard, Frances de la Tour and Carmen Ejogo.

Reshoots, or additional photography as the process is sometimes now called, has become more commonplace in recent years given the rise of tentpole franchise filmmaking, a process that regularly churns out visual effects-heavy productions that is only half completed during principal photography and really begins to take form during postproduction.

Some rides are smoother than others but productions now build in contingencies for casts to return when needed for additional shooting. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is an example of a movie that faced a major overhaul and still became a critical and commercial hit. Justice League is another title that faced challenges, with Joss Whedon stepping in for Zack Snyder.

Disney’s Jungle Cruise, which opens July 2020, will be undergoing a round of additional photography soon as will Sony’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The latter opens July 5, 2019.