It looks as if the stars may be aligning and the gods are smiling down on us. Word is coming in from The Hollywood Reporter that Robert Downey Jr. is in official talks to take on the lead role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s next film, an adaptation of the 1970s-set private eye novel Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon. THR briefly describes the premise:

Vice is a comparatively accessible Pynchon work that tells the story of a stoner detective who gets wrapped up in a number of mysteries in 1969 L.A. while the Manson Family trial growls in the background.

After dropping out of Disney’s Oz, the Great and Powerful, Downey has been looking for something to fill the void in his schedule and this looks to be it. I am yet to read the book, but I have always been aware of it, and it seems to be a novel that appeals to both critics and casual readers alike. Naturally, my attraction comes to seeing Downey playing detective yet again and working with a director who always brings the best out of every actor that he works with.

To provide you with a little more sense of the tone, here’s a trailer for the book, which was released in 2009 by Penguin Group: