What most surprised me about Cowboys & Aliens is that it’s a live action movie. I really thought that John Favreau’s adaptation of the comic book that mixes Westerns with ETs was going to be a CG animated movie. But I guess not, and I guess it’s shooting this summer. Without its star, that is.

Robert Downey Jr has dropped out of the production, and now the film needs a new cowboy. Downey’s schedule is just too tight, it turns out, and some are speculating that his time has become suddenly consumed by Sherlock Holmes 2 (he was supposedly taking meetings on it during the film’s opening week). This makes a lot of sense, actually, as it seems unlikely that Downey would bail on Favreau without their being a contractual reason.

Cowboys & Aliens is scheduled for release in Summer 2011. Now that I know this is a live action movie I’m suddenly really excited about it.

via LA Times