Robert Downey Jr. & Shane Black reportedly join hands again for 'Parker' film adaptation

Robert Downey Jr. and director Shane Black are coming together for the third time for a new film. The new project is said to be based on Parker, a fictional thief created by author Donald E. Westlake. Parker is the protagonist of 24 out of 28 novels written by Westlake under the pseudonym Richard Stark.

Downey Jr and Black duo first joined hands for the crime comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005 and was celebrated by the audience during the time of its release. But their second collaboration, Iron Man 3 received mixed reviews in 2013 and didn't end up being a unanimous fans' favourite. 

It may be recalled that the character Parker has inspired roles played by the likes of Lee Marvin (Point Blank), Jim Brown (The Split), Robert Duvall (The Outfit), Peter Coyote (Slayground), Mel Gibson (Payback) and Jason Statham (Parker).

Black has written the new film to direct for Amazon Studios, and Downey Jr. is set to star as Parker. Post his appearance as Tony Stark (a) Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his only release was Dr Dolittle, which wasn't well received.