Robert Downey, Jr. to voice DreamWorks animated Peabody & Sherman movie

Back in 2006, DreamWorks Animation picked up the rights to MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN, an animated movie based on the old “Rocky and Bullwinkle” shorts after Universal passed on the idea. Rob Minkoff (THE LION KING) was set to direct the film but four years went by with little to no progress on the film itself. Well, progress is taking a big leap forward as DreamWorks announced this morning that Robert Downey, Jr. has signed on to voice the film, starring as the know-it-all dog-genius Mr. Peabody.

The film is currently being planned or 2014 and would show how young Sherman came to meet his dog and their adventures traveling through time. The script was written by Jeffrey Ventimilia and Joshua Sternin who wrote YOGI BEAR and, as it turns out, DreamWorks briefly considered filming MR. PEABODY as a similar live-action/CGI combo but decided against it. PEABODY AND SHERMAN would mark Robert Downey, Jr.’s first credit voicing an animated film (unless you count A SCANNER DARKLY, which I don’t). He was attached at one point to star in MEGAMIND as the Brad Pitt character but left the project for unknown reasons.

Downey, Jr. hasn’t recorded any of the character’s voice yet but a first look at the characters will debut this Friday in Entertainment Weekly.

So I guess the question should be asked: do kids even know who Mr. Peabody and Sherman are? And does that even matter?