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Robert Downey Jr. to Star in Richard Linklater Movie Based on Podcast

Robert Downey Jr. will star in a movie directed by Richard Linklater based on the recent “Man of the People� episode from the “Reply All� podcast from Gimlet Media.

Annapurna Pictures will partner with Susan and Robert Downey Jr.’s Team Downey production company for the as-yet untitled film based on the true story of Dr. John Brinkley, a charlatan who scams his way to fame using fake medicine, populism, and radio. Dr. Morris Fishbein, editor of the journal of the AMA, begins a quest to take him down as Brinkley becomes more famous — mainly for transplanting goat testicles into humans. The episode aired Jan. 19.

Team Downey’s Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr. will produce alongside Annapurna’s Megan Ellison. Linklater will co-produce through his Detour Filmproduction banner with Gimlet Media’s PJ Vogt, Tim Howard, and Chris Giliberti.

Annapurna is also developing Linklater’s adaptation of Maria Semple’s “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,� as well as Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal’s Untitled Detroit Project, for release on Aug. 4, and is in production on Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

Annapurna and Boal are partners in the company Page One, which produced season two of the “Serial� podcast.

CAA represents Gimlet Media, Linklater, and Downey Jr.