Downey Jr. to star in P.T. Anderson’s Inherent Vice?

From The Hollywood Reporter’s lips to God’s ear. The once-busy-but-now-not-so-much Robert Downey Jr. is considering starring in Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel Inherent Vice.

When news broke last week that P.T. Anderson’s two upcoming projects (including Scientology satire The Master, and the Pynchon adaptation) would – weirdly – be funded by a 25-year-old billionairess, Downey Jr.’s name was floated as a potential lead for Inherent Vice.

Now it looks as if he might seriously take on the role of stoner private detective Larry “Doc” Sportello, in the 1969-set private detective story.

THR says his schedule has been cleared since dropping out of Oz, The Great and Powerful (as well as the Alfonso Cuaron thriller Gravity), and he might have time to film with Anderson before heading to work on The Avengers.

Discuss: Any Pynchon fans out there? Does RDJ seem like a good fit for Doc? Of course, those of us who have seen him play a wannabe-PI in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang know that he could kill this role…