Why was Robert Downey Jr. not a part of Play Dirty? Shane Black has an answer

Mark Wahlberg will next be seen in the Shane Black-directed Play Dirty, which will be released on Prime Video today. In addition to Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, and others will appear in the movie.

However, at one point, Robert Downey Jr. was also involved in this film. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Shane revealed the reason why the star had to drop out:

"Yeah. There was a time when he was off doing something else and we were writing and he came back and he went off to do something else again, he was a busy guy. I guess that happens."

He didn't disclose what role the actor would have played, but it was most likely the lead, Parker, which Mark Wahlberg subsequently bagged. Even though RDJ did not act in it, he remains attached as a co-producer.

Robert Downey Jr. couldn't do Play Dirty because of another major project

When the film was being developed, the actor was involved in a different project at the time. Jules Daly, who is also a co-producer on Play Dirty, said:

"He was on the back end of Oppenheimer, so there was stuff going on around that, but the fact that they stayed involved with us to make the movie and that Mark showed up for us the other night, they've been incredible partners."

Oppenheimer, the last release from filmmaking auteur Christopher Nolan, was a major success and helped Downey land his first-ever Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

All in all, the film was nominated for thirteen Oscars and won seven of them, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), among others. It was also a major commercial success, earning $975 million on a $100 million budget.

Shane Black on Robert Downey's latest project

Robert Downey Jr. was likely to play the lead in Play Dirty. (Image via Getty)

While both the Play Dirty director and the co-producer revealed what Robert Downey Jr. was up to during the film, the former also commented on the actor's latest project, which is also the next big thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

"Yeah, they really have. And also Downey, God bless him, he went off to do his little thing called Dr. Doom with the Avengers, so I'm sure he's not... Well, he's probably not regretting getting a chance to do that."

As of this writing, Robert Downey Jr. is set to play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently set for release on December 18, 2026. This is his second role in the MCU, as he played Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, a genius, billionaire, and philanthropist. His role ended in 2019 when the character was killed.

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