After failing to get a big screen adaptation off the ground a few years back, Robert Downey Jr. is now taking Perry Mason to the small screen, teaming up with HBO and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto for a reboot of the classic legal drama.
According to Variety, the project is eyeing a short run in the vein of True Detective, but is being viewed as an ongoing series, with future seasons’ timed to fit around Downey’s schedule. As yet it’s unclear whether it will retain Downey’s original idea for the feature film, which would have featyre the noir setting of 1930s Los Angeles.
Created by Erle Stanley Gardner and first appearing in 1993, the criminal defense lawyer has featured in over 80 novels and short stories, as well as spawning six feature films from Warner Bros.’ in the 1930s, a radio series, and an Emmy Award-winning TV series starring Raymond Burr.
Originally published August 16, 2016. Updated October 24, 2022.
