The trailer for Robert Downey Jr.‘s reboot of the Dr. Dolittle franchise is here, and it is a far cry from what fans of the Eddie Murphy version of the character may be expecting. Entitled Dolittle, Downey’s take on the character harkens back to Hugh Lofting’s original children’s stories about the character, as opposed to the reimagined Murphy version.
Downey is an old-timey doctor who can talk to animals and is swept up in a globe-trekking adventure with a myriad of wildlife. Gorillas, polar bears, tigers, parrots, whales and monkeys are just a handful of the creatures on display in the trailer.
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Among the adventures, it appears Downey’s character will have to cross the sea and eventually encounter a villainous character played by Antonio Banderas, who may sick a tiger on Dolittle.
In addition to Downey and Banderas, the movie’s human cast includes Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Harry Collett, Ralph Ineson and Kasia Smutniak. The voice cast includes Selena Gomez, John Cena, Emma Thompson, Tom Holland, Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes, Marion Cotillard, Octavia Spencer, Kumail Nanjiani, Craig Robinson and Carmen Ejogo.
“I’ve been talking to animals for years now…And they finally started talking back,” Downey Jr. tweeted along with the trailer. “Does this mean I was getting the silent treatment?”
Fan reaction to the trailer seems to be positive, at least in Downey’s fan base. Many said the film looked promising, and the Dolittle character seemed to be a perfect fit for the Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes star.
YESSSSS!! You don’t UNDERSTAND HOW HAPPY I AM RN 😭😭😭
— ale (fanpage) (@HisDuckling) October 13, 2019
OH MY GOD IM SO EXCITED
— emily (fan acc) (@starksyndrome) October 13, 2019
That trailer gave me goosebumps. How do you make that, that every character you play appears to be written just for you?
— TheFatRat (@ThisIsTheFatRat) October 13, 2019
The movie will be released on Jan. 17, and Universal Pictures has hyped up the “electrifying” performance by Downey in their official synopsis of the film.
“Robert Downey Jr. electrifies one of literature’s most enduring characters in a vivid reimagining of the classic tale of the man who could talk to animals: Dolittle. After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), famed doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company,” the studio’s description reads. “But when the young queen (Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wondrous creatures.”
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
