[_____V_____]

Robert Downey Jr. will soon be his own lawyer.

The "Due Date" star has slammed evil as a superhero in "Iron Man" and investigated dastardly deeds as a detective in "Sherlock Holmes." Now he'll fight crime in the courtroom as the new incarnation of the famous lawyer character, Perry Mason, according to Variety.

Warner Bros. and Team Downey are teaming to relaunch the "Perry Mason" franchise as a feature film, with Downey Jr. looking to play the title defense attorney role.

The new "Perry Mason," like the original novels by Erle Stanley Gardner, will take place in 1930s Los Angeles and will feature such fan favorites as Mason's secretary, Della Street, private investigator Paul Drake and Mason's longtime courtroom nemesis, Hamilton Burger.

Gardner's 82 "Perry Mason" novels and dozens of short stories have been published in 37 languages worldwide. At the height of his popularity, Gardner sold something like 26,000 "Mason" novels per day.

The adventures of the crusading lawyer were first dramatized in the radio series that began in 1937 and ran for 3,257 episodes. Mason has also appeared in a total of 34 two-hour telepics and six feature films since the 1930s.

The most popular incarnation of the character to date is probably the television series that starred Raymond Burr and aired on CBS from 1957-1966.

The "Godzilla" star was indeed a great Perry Mason -- and we expect Robert Downey Jr., with his impeccable timing and razor-sharp wit, will make an even better one.