Robert Downey Jr. Fades From Gravity

 

With so many potential projects on his plate, something was bound to give. And it has, finally, as Robert Downey Jr. has officially removed himself from Gravity, director Alfonso Cuaron’s space thriller about a female astronaut who becomes the lone survivor of an accident on her space station, leaving her with the daunting task of pulling herself together and finding a way home.

Downey’s role would have been a small one that only appeared in the first act of the film, Heat Vision reports, but his star power was certainly a draw for many fans. Now, there’s no official casting left in place, with Sandra Bullock still negotiating for the starring role.

But RDJ’s decision to withdraw from Gravity stems more from scheduling difficulties than a need to trim down his workload. Hot on the heels of his departure from that film comes word that he might star in 20th Century Fox’s How to Talk to Girls, based on a novel written by a nine-year-old boy as part of a school project. The story centers on the author’s advice on how readers should deal with the opposite sex. Downey is only considering the project at this time, but word is that Ben Karlin and Stu Zicherman’s script is being reimagined with Downey’s involvement.