For years Robert Downey Jr. has been trying to bring the cases of legal hero Perry Mason to the big screen without much success. He appears to have found a home for it now, appropriately enough on the small screen, teaming up with HBO and True Detective writer Nic Pizzolatto.
As HBO continues to mull a third season of True Detective after a supposedly lackluster second season (I disagree, it was just different from the first), Pizzolatto can fill his time scripting this new Perry Mason series for Downey to star. While details are few at this point, it will be based on the many Erle Stanley Gardner novels that featured Mason, a criminal defense attorney known for taking unusual, hard-to-win cases. Burr played the character in a CBS series from 1957-1966, and for years after in various TV movies until his death in 1993.
To the best of my knowledge this will be Downey's first major TV work since his 25-episode stint on Ally McBeal. I think the most interesting thing about this is what it could say about True Detective, but we'll see what HBO decides ultimately on that front. [Variety]
