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Robert Downey Jr is reportedly in talks to star in Cowboys and Aliens, a self-explanatory popcorn movie planned for a 2010 release.

According to Variety, the Iron Man actor is in negotiations with Dreamworks and Universal Studios to star in the adventure flick, with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard set to produce.

Based on a graphic novel by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, Cowboys and Aliens tells of an Old West battle between Apache Indians and western settlers, including former sharpshooter Zeke Jackson (Downey Jr), which is interrupted by the crash landing of an alien spaceship near Silver City, Arizona.

As well as Grazer and Howard, Dreamworks’ Steven Spielberg, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will all serve in a production capacity, while the current draft of the script should provide some familiar territory for Downey Jr, having been written by Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus, contributors to the Iron Man script.

Their draft follows efforts by X2 writer David Hayter, Sahara scribes Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, and a rendition from Jeffrey Boam, writer of The Lost Boys, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the second and third Lethal Weapon films.

Starring in the graphic novel adaptation would see Downey Jr celebrating his career resurrection, having rebounded from substance abuse issues and infamous brushes with the law to personal rehabilitation and taking the lead role in Iron Man, a $500 million box office smash.

Downey Jr will next be seen alongside Ben Stiller and Jack Black in comedy Tropic Thunder, before starring with Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener in The Soloist, a new drama from Atonement director Joe Wright.

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A paparazzo has filed suit in Federal court alleging Paramount and Marvel Entertainment swiped a pic he took off the internet and used it in “Iron Man” — without paying him!

Ronnie Adams says he legally snapped the first photos of Robert Downey Jr. on set in his “Iron Man” getup. He posted them on a friend’s website, only to have the studio shut it down. Then, months later, Adams saw one of his pics in the movie. He says the studio removed his watermark and used the image without his permission.

A rep from Paramount could not be reached for comment. Marvel told us they hadn’t seen the lawsuit yet.

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Robert Downey Jr. has publicly thanked fast food chain Burger King for helping him overcome his personal problems and resurrect his film career.

In 2003, the actor - who, at the time, was battling an addiction to drugs and alcohol - was driving a car filled with “tons of f***ing dope” on California’s Pacific Coast Highway when he decided to stop at the burger joint for a meal.

And the trip to the fastfood outlet caused him to re-evaluate his whole life.

He says, “I have to thank Burger King. It was such a disgusting burger I ordered. I had that, and this big soda, and I thought something really bad was going to happen.”

According to Britain’s Empire magazine, Downey Jr. proceeded to throw all his drugs into the ocean, resolving to clean up his act then and there.

The actor goes on to hint that a fateful moment in new movie Iron Man, when his character Tony Stark requests a cheeseburger from Burger King after being released from his captors, is a reference to his own experiences.

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INFDaily

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It sounds like the next big male star to come to Chicago could be Robert Downey Jr., if he lands the role of Hugh Hefner in a big-screen biopic now in the works.

It’s not a 100 percent done deal, but sources say Hefner has signed off on Downey to play him in the movie, with the working title “Playboy.”

He took a liking to the actor after seeing “Iron Man” and admiring his humor and skill in showing his vulnerability.

Chicago is expected to be used for the shooting of scenes focusing on the early years of Playboy magazine. A Chicago native, Hefner grew up in Galewood and launched Playboy here before moving the California.

No word yet on when the cameras actually will begin rolling, but it could happen as soon as next summer — depending on Downey’s “Iron Man 2″ filming and the finalization of the Hefner script.

With “Iron Man” a box-office smash, Downey is very much in demand. A representative for the actor said he’s interested in the Hefner project but is unlikely to commit to it until a script is done and a director is named.

Brett Ratner (”Rush Hour”), announced last year as the “Playboy” director, is no longer attached to the project but may return to it. Brian Grazer is among the film’s producers.

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