Robert Downey Jr. is set to reunite with former Iron Man 3 director Shane Black for a new streaming movie. The film is an adaptation of the highly popular crime fiction novels known as "The Parker series," written by Donald E. Westlake. The series consists of a total of 24 books, which were released between the 1962 and 2008. In addition to Marvel Studios' Iron Man saga, Black and Downey also previously collaborated on the 2005 black comedy crime-thriller, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which starred Downey in the lead role.
Now, Empire has revealed that Black has written a script for the new film, which is set to be headlined by Downey. The MCU actor will play the main character of the Westlake's crime fiction novels, who is simply known as Parker. The project is being developed by Amazon Studios and will reportedly make its debut on Amazon Prime Video. This new film adaptation is produced by Downey, his wife Susan Downey, and Joel Silver. Silver, has also collaborated with Black on several previous films such as The Nice Guys and the Lethal Weapon franchise.
The character of Parker from the long-running book series is often described as a professional career thief who is cold, calculated and known to have few redeeming qualities. Parker has been the inspiration for numerous crime action films such as Jason Statham's Parker in 2013 based on the 19th novel in the Parker series, and Mel Gibson's Payback in 1999. Black's last film was 2018's The Predator, and Downey's last film was Dolittle in 2020. Given Downey is known for his smarmy and quick-witted portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU, the actor seems the perfect fit for the role of Parker, and his reunion with Black is sure to mark an exciting and entertaining adaptation.
Source: Empire Online