Robert Downey Jr. reportedly in talks to appear in 'Perry Mason' reboot on HBO

Who's ready to watch Perry Mason win more cases?

Image: AP Photo/Francois Mori

Perry Mason may be coming back to primetime fifty years after the original series went off the air.

Variety reports Robert Downey Jr. will perhaps star as America's favorite criminal defense lawyer in an upcoming series for HBO. Raymond Burr helped make the character iconic with the long running TV series, which ended its nine-season run in 1966 after producing a staggering 271 episodes. 

Before the original TV series, the character appeared in over 80 novels, several films and a long-running radio series.

The news of the reboot shouldn't come as a complete surprise. Downey Jr. has been trying to revive for the classic legal drama for several years, originally developing the project as a feature film for Warner Bros. 

The new series on HBO won't be the first Perry Mason revival on television, either. In 1973, the character reemerged in The New Perry Mason, this time with Monte Markham playing the lawyer. The network canceled the series halfway through the first season.

Then in 1985, Raymond Burr reprised his role for 26 television films. After his death in 1993, the movies continued for two years as A Perry Mason Mystery.

Sources told Variety that True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto will write for the series. However, HBO and reps for both Pizzolatto and Downey Jr. declined to comment. 

No word yet on when the series will air or who will play Della Street, but we'll be sure to keep you posted. 

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