Warner Bros & Downey Jr team for 'Perry Mason'

Warner Bros.& Downey Jr team for 'Perry Mason'

Fellow fans of Erle Stanley Gardner's eponymous attorney will be interested to read this "exclusive" from entertainment magazine Variety, I should think.  If you're anything like me you'll have fond memories of the 1950s series and later 1980s & 1990s TV movies starring the great Raymond Burr, and one has to wonder if even Robert Downey Jr - who admittedly seems to be at the height of his powers - can follow him.  But if anyone can manage it, perhaps it is Downey Jr.  Everything he's in seems to be box office gold at the moment, from the Iron Man series to the new Sherlock Holmes (sequel's coming in December - I can't wait!) and having watched the opening credits of the Fifties serial a few times, particularly that knowing smile of Burr's, I can see Downey Jr there as well.

Only time will tell if Mr Downey Jr can bring success to a new (series of?) Perry Mason film(s), but the fact that it will apparently be set in the 1930s, as Gardner's original books were, should give it a certain individual cachet - certainly among the likes of us, at least!  A real, gritty Thirties feel combined with Gardner's excellent plots, modern production values and Downey Jr's acting skills could make this a roaring success.

So what do you think?  Is Robert Downey Jr the right choice to play Perry Mason?  If not, who would you like to see in the role?  What about the supporting cast - Mason's secretary Della Street, private eye Paul Drake, and district attorney Hamilton Burger - any ideas for actors/actresses?