Warner Bros., Downey team for 'Perry Mason'

Warner Bros. and Team Downey are teaming to relaunch the "Perry Mason" franchise as a feature film, with Robert Downey Jr. eyeing the title defense attorney role as a potential starring vehicle. Like the original series of books by Erle Stanley Gardner, "Perry Mason" will be set in the rough and tumble world of early 1930s Los Angeles, and feature fan favorites such as Mason's secretary, Della Street, private investigator Paul Drake, and Mason's longtime courtroom nemesis, Hamilton Burger. Team Downey principals Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey will produce with Robert Cort, while David Gambino, Eric Hetzel and Joe Horacek will exec produce with Susan Feiles and Chris Darling. The producers are currently looking for a writer, whose script will be based on an original story by Robert Downey Jr. and Gambino. WB exec Jon Berg will oversee the project for the studio. Cort and his Robert Cort Prods. exec Hetzel teamed with Darling and Feiles of Action Entertainment to bring the idea for the feature relaunch of "Perry Mason" to Team Downey. Estate attorney Horacek negotiated the rights deal on behalf of Paisano Prods. Gardner's 82 "Perry Mason" novels and dozens of short stories have been published in 37 languages worldwide. With book sales exceeding 425 million, Gardner, who mentored both Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett early in the careers, surpassed them both in sales, even combined. At the height of his popularity, Gardner sold an average of 26,000 "Perry Mason" books per day. A "Perry Mason" radio series began in 1937, running 3,257 episodes, and there were 34 two-hour telepics and six feature films beginning in the 1930s from Warners. But the character is perhaps best known as the protag of the popular TV show starring Raymond Burr, which ran on CBS from 1957 to 1966 and featured memorable theme music composed by Fred Steiner. The series still plays everyday in 87 languages around the world. Robert Downey Jr., who next stars in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," is currently reprising his role as Iron Man in Marvel's "The Avengers." He is repped by CAA. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

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