Nic Pizzolatto scored a huge hit with True Detective season one, winning over audiences and critics alike and scooping up several Emmy nominations in the process. 

The second season however, was not as well received and the series is now in limbo. Whether or not we'll see a third installment remains to be seen. Pizzolatto will have plenty to keep him busy with regardless. 

According to Variety, the writer is developing a new series with one of the biggest movie stars on the planet - Robert Downey Jr. Pizzolatto is attached to write the series and Downey Jr. will play the lead role. 

Plot details are scarce, but the report from Variety suggests that it's likely to be a reboot of the 1960s television series, Perry Mason. The original series, about the titular criminal defence lawyer, ran for 9 years between 1957 and 1966. 

Downey Jr. originally saw the reboot as a feature film and initially set it up at Warner Bros. but after several years in development hell it seems the Iron Man star and his team have decided that television may be the best platform to tell the story. 

The series, which is being produced by HBO marks Downey Jr.'s first ever lead role in television. He previously appeared for a brief stint Ally McBeal in the early 00's before going on to be one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood.