Is Downey Jr. a Cowboy or Alien?

Does it really matter?

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Monday, June 16th 2008 at 4:23 PM

Outside of the rumors that Robert Downey Jr. will be playing Hugh Hefner in the film adaptation of the Playboy mogul's life for none other than Brett Ratner we have news that he is in negotiations to star in DreamWorks/Universal's Cowboys & Aliens based on a graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley from an original idea by Platinum Studios chairman and CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

The story is described as a pulpy mix of the sci-fi and Western genres that centers on an Old West battle between the Apache and Western settlers, including a former Union Army gunslinger named Zeke Jackson (Downey), that is interrupted by a spaceship crashing into the prairie near Silver City, Ariz. The story draws a parallel between the American imperialist drive to conquer the "savage" Indians with its advanced technology and the aliens' assault on Earthlings, who must join together to survive the invaders' attack.

The most recent draft of the script was written by Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus who previously worked on the script for the Downey superhero starrer, Iron Man, as well as the fantastic 2006 feature Children of Men. Perhaps those two films give you some idea of where this project is going and apparently their draft has raised some eyebrows because DreamWorks and Universal may set this pic up as a 2010 tentpole and it is expected to attract even more major players.

A director is not yet attached.

Downey will next be seen in the comedy Tropic Thunder followed up by the Oscar bait feature The Soloist.