Robert Downey Jr’s Dolittle remake gets India release date

In news that is bound to warm the hearts of Dolittle fans, Universal Pictures International India has announced that legendary actor Robert Downey Jr will be seen as the iconic character, Doctor Dolittle, in its upcoming film, Dolittle.

The remake of the 1998 film is set to release in India on January 17, 2020 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film will release in India, the same day it hits screens in the US.

Directed by Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan, who is known for having directed films like Syriana and Traffic, Dolittle is the classic tale of a man who can talk to animals.

In this film, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), a well known doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, prefers solitude and chooses to stay behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company. He feels the need for solitude after the loss of his wife, seven years earlier.

However, when young queen (Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wonderous creatures.

The doctor is joined on his quest by a young, self-appointed apprentice (Dunkirk’s Harry Collett) and a raucous coterie of animal friends, including an anxious gorilla (Oscar winner Rami Malek), an enthusiastic but bird-brained duck (Oscar winner Octavia Spencer), a bickering duo of a cynical ostrich (The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjiani) and an upbeat polar bear (John Cena, Bumblebee) and a headstrong parrot (Oscar winner Emma Thompson), who serves as Dolittle’s most trusted advisor and confidante.

The film also stars Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen (The Queen), Oscar winner Jim Broadbent and Carmen Laniado (FX’s A Christmas Carol) and features additional voice performances from Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, Frances de la Tour, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Tom Holland, and Craig Robinson.

Dolittle has been produced by Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum under their Roth/Kirschenbaum Films (Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent) and Susan Downey (Sherlock Holmes franchise, The Judge) for Team Downey.