Dolittle

Dolittle is an upcoming American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Stephen Gaghan, from a screenplay by Gaghan and John Whittington, and a story by Thomas Shepherd. It is based on the character Doctor Dolittle created by Hugh Lofting, primarily The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. Robert Downey Jr. stars as the title character, alongside Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen in live action roles; the voice cast includes Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez and Marion Cotillard. The film will be released on January 17, 2020.

Premise
After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), famed doctor and veterinarian of Victorian England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of animals for company. But when Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and encounters wondrous creatures.

Cast

 * Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. John Dolittle, a veterinarian who has the ability to speak to animals.
 * Harry Collett as Tommy Stubbins, Dolittle's self-appointed apprentice.
 * Antonio Banderas as Rassouli
 * Michael Sheen as Mudfly
 * Jessie Buckley as Queen Victoria
 * Ralph Ineson as Arnall Stubbins
 * Jim Broadbent
 * Kasia Smutniak

Voices

 * Emma Thompson as Polynesia, Dr. Dolittle's wise and headstrong blue and gold macaw who is his most trusted advisor and confidante.
 * Rami Malek as Chee-Chee, an anxious but noble gorilla.
 * John Cena as Yoshi, an up-beat polar bear who wears a cap and bickers with Plimpton.
 * Kumail Nanjiani as Plimpton, a cynical ostrich who bickers with Yoshi.
 * Octavia Spencer as Dab-Dab, an enthusiastic and crazy duck.
 * Tom Holland as Jip, a loyal dog who wears glasses.
 * Craig Robinson as Fleming, a mouse.
 * Ralph Fiennes as Barry, a ferocious tiger.
 * Selena Gomez as Betsy, a friendly giraffe.
 * Marion Cotillard as Tutu, a fox.
 * Carmen Ejogo as Regine, a lioness.
 * Frances de la Tour as Ginko-Who-Soars

Production
On March 20, 2017, it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would star in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, a feature adaptation of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. In December 2017, Harry Collett and Jim Broadbent were cast. In February 2018, Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen were cast in live action roles while Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, and Selena Gomez were cast to voice animals in the film including a tiger, bear, and a lioness. In March 2018, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, John Cena, Rami Malek, Craig Robinson, Marion Cotillard, Frances de la Tour and Carmen Ejogo joined the voice cast.

Principal production commenced mid-February in 2018. Live action scenes began filming in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria in May 2018, with further location filming at South Forest, Windsor Great Park and on the Menai Suspension Bridge in North West Wales, in June 2018.

In April 2019, it was reported the film had undergone 21 days of re-shoots following poor test screenings. Director Jonathan Liebesman helped to oversee the filming alongside Gaghan while Chris McKay helped write new material, after it became clear from first cuts that the comedy and computer-generated elements of the film were not coming together as well as the producers had hoped.

In August 2019, it was reported that the film's title had been changed from The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle to simply Dolittle.

Release
The film was originally going to be released on May 24, 2019, by Universal Pictures but was moved to April 12, 2019, to avoid competition with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It was later pushed back to January 17, 2020, while The Rise of Skywalker was also pushed back to December 20, 2019.