Robert Downey Jr. to Make Broadway Debut in Ayad Akhtar's "McNeal"

Robert Downey Jr. is set to make his Broadway debut this fall in the play, “McNeal.”

Written by Ayad Akhtar and directed by Bartlett Sher (“To Kill a Mockingbird”), “McNeal” will star Downey as a talented writer who struggles with family issues as he works on his next novel. 

The official synopsis reads: “Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Jacob McNeal (Downey) is a great writer, one of our greatest, a perpetual candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. But McNeal also has an estranged son, a new novel, old axes to grind and an unhealthy fascination with Artificial Intelligence.”

“McNeal” will begin previews on September 5 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater ahead of opening night on September 30. The limited run will end on November 24.

Additional casting will be announced at a later date. 

The play will have sets by Michael Yeargan & Jake Barton, costumes by Jennifer Moeller, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Justin Ellington & Beth Lake, and projections by Jake Barton. Jennifer Rae Moore will be the stage manager. Lincoln Center Theater is producing “McNeal” with Team Downey.

Downey recently won his first Oscar for Christopher Nolan’s historical epic “Oppenheimer,” in which he played Lewis Strauss. 

The “Iron Man” star will appear next (in various villainous roles) in HBO’s adaptation of “The Sympathizer” and Paramount’s “Vertigo” remake.