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Robert Downey, Jr. has tweeted the first trailer for his new film, The Judge, which he he produced and stars in, alongside Robert Duvall. It’s the first time in a long while we’ve seen Downey, Jr. in a role outside of his larger than life, super egotistical, and superheroic characters he’s been playing since his return to stardom in 2008’s Iron Man, which put him back in the spotlight. So to see him returning to his roots, in a film closer in tone to Chaplin, has me absolutely giddy with anticipation. He’s done great work as Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes, but it’ll be great to see Downey, Jr. really sinking his teeth into a new film that gives him a chance to flex his dramatic muscles again.
The film follows Downey, Jr.’s character, Hank Palmer, as he returns home, to find his father, Joseph Palmer (Duvall), who is the town’s judge, is being accused of murder.
The Judge, directed by David Dobkin, opens October 10, 2014.
Check out WB’s full press release below:
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures comes “The Judge,” starring Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr. (“Tropic Thunder,” the “Sherlock Holmes” films, the “Iron Man” franchise), Oscar® winner Robert Duvall (“Tender Mercies,” “Crazy Heart”) and Oscar® nominee Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air,” “The Conjuring”). The film is directed by David Dobkin (“Wedding Crashers”).
In “The Judge,” Downey stars as big city lawyer Hank Palmer, who returns to his childhood home where his estranged father, the town’s judge (Duvall), is suspected of murder. He sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before.
Starring alongside Downey, Duvall and Farmiga are Vincent D’Onofrio (TV’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”), Jeremy Strong (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Lincoln”), Dax Shephard (TV’s “Parenthood”), and Oscar® winner Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade,” “Friday Night Lights”). The film also stars Oscar® winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter,” “Prisoners”), Leighton Meester (TV’s “Gossip Girl”), Ken Howard (“J. Edgar,” “Michael Clayton”), Emma Tremblay (“Elysium”), Balthazar Getty (TV’s “Brothers & Sisters”), David Krumholtz (“This Is the End”), Sarah Lancaster (TV’s “Chuck”), Grace Zabriskie (TV’s “Big Love”) and Denis O’Hare (TV’s “True Blood”).
“The Judge” is being produced by Susan Downey (the “Sherlock Holmes” films), David Dobkin, and David Gambino (“The Brave One”), with Herbert W. Gains, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Kleeman and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Nick Schenk (“Gran Torino”) and Bill Dubuque, story by Dobkin & Schenk.
Dobkin’s behind the scenes creative team includes Oscar®-winning director of photography Janusz Kaminski (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Lincoln”), production designer Mark Ricker (“The Way Way Back,” “The Help”), editor Mark Livolsi (“The Blind Side”) and costume designer Marlene Stewart (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,” “Tropic Thunder”). The music is by 12-time Oscar® nominee Thomas Newman (“Saving Mr. Banks”).
A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Big Kid Pictures/Team Downey production, a film by David Dobkin, “The Judge” is scheduled for release on October 10, 2014, and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
