Canceled Robert Downey Jr., Robert Pattinson Movie Had a Plot That’s Even More Unhinged Than Don’t Look Up
Ava Robinson
Updated on April 03, 2026
A potential reunion between Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Pattinson is no longer moving forward after director Adam McKay dropped from his own movie. The filmmaker, a known climate activist, decided to focus his attention on a climate-related directorial project instead.
The script for Average Height, Average Build, a political satire, was already finished, and casting has been done. When McKay presented it to Netflix, the studio balked at the sound of its production budget.
SUGGESTEDMona Lisa Vandalized: Director of One of the Most Celebrated Leonardo DiCaprio Films Has Long Been Accused of Funding Art Vandalism
Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Pattinson Would Have Starred In An Extremely Bizarre Movie
In an interview with IGN, a spokesperson for Adam McKay confirmed that he had abandoned Average Height, Average Build to work on something else.
“With the climate emergency having escalated a great deal, Adam McKay has decided to make his next directorial project a climate-related one, so he will not be directing Average Height, Average Build.”
The scrapped movie would have seen Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Pattinson in their most unhinged project yet. Both are no strangers to this type of movie, having done ones like Tropic Thunder and The Devil All The Time.
As per Deadline, the film was meant to feature Pattinson as a serial killer who enlists a lobbyist to help him change the laws and make them murder-friendly. Downey, on the other hand, plays a retired cop who goes after the murder cases, while the killer prevents him from catching the culprit.
SUGGESTEDLeonardo DiCaprio Film Gets Its Director and Netflix Sued For Copyright Infringement Despite Oscar-Nominated Screenplay
The movie was supposed to bring a star-studded cast, and in addition to the two aforementioned actors, Amy Adams, Forrest Whitaker, and Danielle Deadwyle were also assumed to join the team. The proposed budget of more than $150 million for a comedy film instantly turned off Netflix.
McKay’s other project with the studio, Don’t Look Up, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, proved to be a massive hit. It ended up as Netflix’s second most-watched film of all time. It followed two astronomers trying to warn people about an approaching comet that would annihilate human civilization.
Downey Jr. and Pattinson’s unmade project could have also accomplished the same feat as Don’t Look Up with its absurd narrative and powerful cast.
SUGGESTEDNetflix Scraps Serial Killer Thriller Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Pattinson as ‘Don’t Look Up’ Director Leaves Project
Adam McKay On His Filmmaking Philosophy
In his interview with Tudum by Netflix, Adam McKay shared he’s always been passionate about making movies that tackle environmental problems.
“I knew I wanted to do something about the climate crisis, and I was trying to figure out a way to address it. Part of what you do when you make movies is you try and make movies that you personally would like to see.”
Don’t Look Up was an allegory to climate change. As McKay previously mentioned, he is gearing up for a directorial job that focuses on this topic. Fans can only hope he will cast Downey Jr. and Pattinson again once he has finished the script.
It remains a mystery how the director will approach this one since he likes to combine comedy and climate crisis. Meanwhile, Don’t Look Up is available to watch on Netflix.
