Busy Downey Jr.

With the monumental success of IRON MAN placed largely on his custom-tailored shoulders, along with his impending (and possibly quite brilliant) contribution to TROPIC THUNDER, Robert Downey Jr. has the whole world in his hands. Or at least a whole lot of A-list scripts.

The tabloid survivor is now the center of Hollywood’s attention, and for his prodigious talent rather than headline-generating behavior. As we heard last month, he’s being sought to portray boob-loving publisher Hugh Hefner, but that’s just one of many possibilities. Fox wants him for their potential detective franchise TRAVIS McGEE (based on John D. MacDonald mystery novels), Warner Bros. wants him for Guy Ritchie’s update of famous sleuth SHERLOCK HOLMES, and SEABISCUIT helmer Gary Ross has a fantasy-comedy called DOG YEARS that would love to get down with Downey.

And there are many others, no doubt. The assumption is that Downey would begin development or even start shooting at least one of projects he’s currently considering before his schedule is devoured by the sequel to IRON MAN, which Marvel wants in theaters for May 2010 — despite what the people who made the first one might think about that.