Matthew Rhys lands title role in HBO's much awaited Perry Mason series, replaces Robert Downey Jr.

HBO’s long-in-the-works Perry Mason drama series finally gets a headstart. The Americans star Matthew Rhys, has been roped in to play the lead, taking over the title role from actor Robert Downey Jr. However, the latter still remains on board as an executive producer for the show. Perry Mason is still in the process of hiring a director and will go into production once that’s finalised.

The series was announced in 2016 and originally envisioned as a feature film. The HBO entry was first put into development in August 2016 with True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto selected to pen the script. Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald replaced Pizzolatto as writers on the project in August 2017 after the latter shifted gears to focus on season three of True Detective. 

HBO’s Perry Mason will be based on the characters first introduced in novelist Erle Stanley Gardner’s Depression-era books (and later turned into hit radio series, which was then followed by the Raymond Burr-led hit TV show). The character is at a time in his life where he living check-to-check as a low-rent private investigator. Reportedly , he is also haunted by his wartime experiences in France and is suffering from the effects of a broken marriage.

Rhys is fresh off his first Emmy win for the critically acclaimed spy drama The Americans.

Robert Downey Jr. posted about the latest development through his Twitter account as well:

"Now it seems to me the place to start is at the beginning."
Perry Mason
“And it seems to me the beginning of any great project is casting my new best friend Matthew Rhys.”
Robert Downey Jr.
Executive Producer pic.twitter.com/jZl6Mm0GGx

— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) January 14, 2019

Here’s the official synopsis, from HBO: “1932, Los Angeles. While the rest of the country recovers from the Great Depression, this city is booming! Oil! Olympic Games! Talking Pictures! Evangelical Fervor! And a child kidnapping gone very, very wrong! Based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner, this limited series follows the origins of American Fiction’s most legendary criminal defense lawyer, Perry Mason. When the case of the decade breaks down his door, Mason’s relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.”