With Iron Man already established as a movie franchise and his Sherlock Holmes looking like a second surefire series, Robert Downey, Jr. has decided not to star in the comic book-derived Cowboys & Aliens, which will be directed by Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau. Iron Man writers Mark Fergus and Hank Ostby wrote the original adaptation of the Platinum Comics-based project, which has 19th Century cowboys teaming up with Apaches to thwart an alien invasion of
According to the L.A. Times, Dreamworks and Favreau intend to move forward on Cowboys & Aliens, which they hope to get into production later this year with an eye toward a summer 2011 debut.