Robert Downey Jr is set to produce a new adaptation of David Howard’s book proposal Chasing Phil: The World’s Greatest Con Man, Two Undercover FBI Agents, and Their Amazing Around the World Adventure, with his production company Team Downey, says the Hollywood Reporter.
Downey Jr may potentially play the lead role of Phil Kitzer, a Minnesota conman and mastermind behind an international crime ring known as ‘the Fraternity’ and ran dozens of multimillion dollar schemes. This would be an exciting contrast for Downey Jr, who has starred as heroes Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man. The project has been described as “Wolf of Wall Street meets Goodfellas”.
The rights were secured for Team Downey by Warner Bros. The studio has also acquired the rights to the life stories of FBI agents Jim Wedick and Jack Brennan, who infiltrated Kitzer’s operations in the FBI’s first investigations into white-collar crime and longterm use of undercover agents.
The actor is currently reprising his role as Iron Man in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, which is currently shooting and is scheduled for release next April. His previous project, The Judge, received a lukewarm reception; this could be his chance to return to serious films, and move beyond his fame in the Marvel franchise.
