After movies like “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” or “Zodiac”, “Iron Man” was the culmination of a Robert Downey Jr. comeback tour. was again a hit. The rest is history. But as one of the two most important films of the last 25 years, in an interview with the a completely different work from that comeback era: “Shaggy Dog – Listen who’s barking”.
Major Movie #1: “Shaggy Dog”
In the Disney comedy released in 2006, Tim Allen plays a prosecutor who turns into a dog. Robert Downey Jr. is seen as the mean scientist. Shot on a budget of $50 million, the film fell short of expectations and grossed $87 million worldwide. But for Downey Jr. it is still one of the two most important films of the last 25 years.
Than “Shaggy Dog” proved to Disney that Robert Downey Jr. can be insured again. Due to the actor’s drug history, this was probably not possible before, or only possible at too high a cost – after all, no insurance company wanted to risk suddenly having to pay huge sums because an important actor was no longer available after a relapse. Without “Shaggy Dog” and proof that the superstar is insurable, Disney Downey Jr. probably never brought Iron Man into the MCU.
Big Movie #2: “The Fantastic Journey of Dr. Dolittle”
As the second important film, the star is mentioned in an interview with the which was considered a massive mega-flop despite revenues of $251 million on a budget of $175 million “The fantastic journey of Dr. Shorty‘ a ‘two and a half year wound of missed opportunities’.
Downey Jr. self-produced the film as his first major project after ending his MCU career with wife Susan – and this experience has shaped him. The stress his wife went through trying to somehow get the movie released was shocking. The movie made them rethink their priorities and make some changes to their closest business advisors.
By the way, Robert Downey Jr. will soon be seen in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”. Theatrical release is July 20, 2023.